Wilderness
by Kanji no Sakka
Summary: As the war screeches to a temporary halt, Naruto leaves the battlefield on a unique mission only he can complete.  Sakura is ordered to go with him.  In the days that follow their bond is changed forever.  Naruto/Sakura
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Although this story is mostly canon-compliant, I do play fast and loose with some of the technical details. It's definitely AU and contains spoilers through Chapter 568. It will eventually get lemony. You have been warned.

Many thanks to **Scarlett71177** for putting up with my hand-wringing and supporting all my kooky ideas. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

There had been a break in the battle, with no sustained fighting for several days. The rumors whispered within the ranks held that several divisions were on indefinite standby. That meant something had changed. Something so significant that control of the war had shifted to their side and they could breathe a little. Sakura feared it was only temporary, a bubble of calm that could be burst at any moment. Nevertheless, it was important to make the most of every opportunity to rest when possible, treat the wounded, and mourn the dead.

The loss of human life was so painful. Painful and frustrating and depressing. Although she hadn't lost anyone close to her yet, Sakura found the cost of this war demoralizing. She had surveyed the last battlefield; the only bodies left to litter the scarred landscape were their own. Those of the opposing army had simply melted into the earth, crumbled to dust, or been bound like mummified remains and hauled away. The information that trickled down to the lower ranks implied that the other divisions had experienced much the same. It left an impression of uselessness – that there had been no cost or casualties for the other side.

Other rumors indicated the real enemy appeared to be on the run or in hiding again, although there was no hope that they would abandon their pursuit of destruction. They were hell-bent, the three men who had been pulling the strings of this war. Tobi, Yakushi Kabuto, and Uchiha Sasuke.

The name of her former teammate burned like bitter poison in the mouth of every honorable shinobi she fought beside, and Sakura kept silent when she heard the cold resolution in their voices. Maybe she couldn't bring herself to kill him outright, but she was done defending him and trying to save him. She was done worrying about him. Sasuke had made his choice and it would have to play out.

So had she. She might be surrounded by uncertainty, danger, and death, but the stranger she'd treated – their conversation and his love letter to her – had pushed her over the edge and into a new life. A life she very much wanted the chance to live.

_He must be a really great guy if **you're** in love with him. _

That day – that moment – was the last time she would think of Sasuke in that way. Thanks to the soldier's pathetic words, Sakura had finally seen herself clearly. What she had always believed was love for Sasuke was no more rooted in reality, or based on the person he actually was, than her patient's love for her had been. It had been nothing but insecurity and idealism hanging from an illusion. So much affection and hope wasted.

Maybe it was the war…maybe it was seeing precious, irreplaceable life slip away every day, but the deep conflict in her heart – the pain of loving the idea of Sasuke and loving the very real Naruto at the same time – was gone. She would never be confused again, and could only trust that eventually Naruto would believe her.

For now, Sakura had other responsibilities. She moved around the makeshift hospital, the dingy fabric of the tent rolling in the breeze. She was so sick of this place, although technically it wasn't the same place. As the war had waged on the battle lines had naturally shifted several times. They had pushed north into the Land of Frost and as far west as the Sound, but no matter where the fight took them this hospital tent followed.

The wounded it contained, those with the slowest healing injuries, were lying on mats on the ground. They were cold, tired, restless, and missing their loved ones, and all she could do was visit several times a day to change bandages, tighten splints, and apply healing chakra.

It was easy to understand how they felt; an anxious longing pressed on her heart every minute of every day. But she did her best to be cheerful for the benefit of her patients. One of her very first medical lessons had been that a good attitude could put a lot of power into healing.

_Naruto is safe_, she told herself for the hundredth time that day. The hundredth time that hour, maybe. Didn't the lull in the battle prove that? An image of his sunny smile sprang to mind and she felt better – for a few seconds, at least. If he wasn't safe she would know. Surely Kakashi-sensei would tell her. Assuming he knew…

Sighing heavily, Sakura resolved again to push the useless worry to the edge of her mind. Reaching the mat upon which Lee was resting, she knelt and examined the bandage on his arm.

"Sakura-san," said Lee, trying to sit up. His green jumpsuit was dirty and stained with his own blood. "It's kind of you to check on me, but I'm fine."

"Your arm is better," she said, nodding in agreement. "But don't be sitting up. This is the third time you've been seriously injured." She gently squeezed his hand. "Rest. That's what you need most, Lee-san."

Without any argument Lee did what he was told, an indication to her that he wasn't doing quite as well as he let on. He was watching her intently as he settled back onto the mat. "What about you, Sakura-san? Are you resting? You looked tired."

"It's kind of you to check on me," she said, echoing his words. "I'm fine."

"But you still have not received any news about Naruto-kun," Lee added thoughtfully, stating the fact as if it were clearly written across her big forehead.

"No, there's been no word," she said. She hated how it added strength to her fear to admit it out loud. "I'm sure he's well and fighting hard – and driving everyone around him crazy." Sakura forced herself to smile then. "A lot has changed forever with this war, but I'm sure Naruto hasn't."

Lee smiled too, but then his expression became one of sheer determination and he struggled to sit up once more. Sakura did not glance toward what had prodded his stubborn streak of discipline into action. She knew without looking.

"Kakashi-butaicho! Gai-sensei! You're back!" Lee said, the thick brows above his eyes set at angles as serious as the tone in his voice.

Sakura focused healing chakra in her hands and applied it to Lee's arm, hoping it would encourage him to at least sit still. She did not address the men herself, but her heart was beating wildly. She didn't know they had returned to camp. Yes, something big had changed.

"How are you, Lee-kun?" said Kakashi.

"I am ready to fight!"

Still focused on treating Lee's arm, Sakura subtly shook her head as a signal to Kakashi that her patient was being overly optimistic.

"Ah, I see," Kakashi said, as much to her, Sakura assumed, as to Lee. "That's good. I'll count on your skill in the next attack."

"That's it, Lee. The power of youth," said Gai, his voice filled with pride.

Lee nodded and made a fist with his unbandaged hand. "Give the word, Kakashi-butaicho, and I will be ready."

"I'm waiting on intel before we move again," Kakashi went on in a lazy tone, "but some new orders have come in from the allied forces headquarters. Sakura, I need to speak with you."

Even as Sakura patted Lee on the shoulder and got to her feet, everything seemed to be spinning. This was the news her worried heart had been waiting for. It had to be. _Naruto._ She didn't have the courage to meet her sensei in the eye, and as usual his cool voice revealed nothing. Sakura nodded and followed Kakashi outside, Gai remaining behind to visit with his beloved protégé.

The sky was a lighter shade of grey and a chilly breeze had picked up since she had been in the tent with the wounded, but that wasn't why Sakura felt cold.

Kakashi didn't walk more than a few paces before he stopped and turned to her. She noticed then that there was a cut healing above his eye, and several holes in his mask revealed gashes on his face. The right sleeve of his shirt was split from elbow to shoulder, and a thick white bandage had been wrapped around his upper arm. The way he stood suggested he had received only the first round of healing for internal damage and broken ribs. He'd been hastily patched together by an expert.

"You shouldn't be on your feet, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, taking a step toward him. "Let me—"

He held up his hand to stop her. "A lot has happened, Sakura. You know Naruto and Killer Bee joined the battle – you saw one of Naruto's clones yourself."

"Yes." Sakura was waiting for words that would let her breathe. "Please tell me about Naruto. Is he all right?"

"He's beaten up and tired, but heyah, he's all right." Kakashi's left hand was at the back of his neck. "What a guy," he said, mostly to himself.

Sakura relaxed a little but not enough to smile at Kakashi's admiration. She waited for him to explain.

"He clashed with Tobi, who had an army of jinchuriki under his control."

"Jinchuriki? How could that—"

Kakashi shook his head. "Edo Tensei. Their corpses had been brought back to life and their biju restored – along with a Sharingan and a Rinnegan. Naruto and Bee had their hands full with those seven. Good thing Gai and I showed up when we did." He winced as he shifted his weight from one foot to another.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder how any of them had walked away from such a fight. "What happened?"

"Tobi fully transformed the Four Tails and it…swallowed Naruto."

"S-swallowed him?"

"I don't know for sure what happened in there," said Kakashi, shaking his head again, "or what Naruto said to it, but the Four Tails broke free from Tobi's control and let Naruto go. After that the fighting went our way. The Four Tails told the other tailed beasts to resist Tobi as much as they could, and to fight with us. With help from the Hachibi and Kyubi, Bee and Naruto and the Four Tails shook Tobi's hold on the other five biju. Tobi has retreated – for now – but—" Kakashi's tone became hushed, reverent. "It was a fierce fight."

Something had gone wrong. "What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Killer Bee didn't make it."

Sakura's heart felt squeezed again. "Where is Naruto now?"

"He stayed on the field with Bee…until the Raikage could get there. Tsunade-sama and Gaara arrived with him. They had been fighting the resurrected Uchiha Madara with the other Kage, but his corpse was summoned away by Tobi and Kabuto – and Sasuke, we're assuming – so they can regroup, now that the tailed beasts—"

Tsunade-sama – the expert who had treated Kakashi's injuries in the field. Imagining the battle scene, Sakura took another step forward. "Why didn't you stay with him? With Naruto? We might not have known Killer Bee, but Naruto did and he will grieve. And blame himself. Why didn't you stay to help him—"

"He didn't have time to grieve," Kakashi said, his tone flat. "There wasn't time for anything. This is war. We had to make the best decision we could and move fast."

"But—"

"You haven't heard everything yet, Sakura." Sakura bowed obediently and fell silent, and then Kakashi continued. "Before Bee died, the Hachibi told Naruto what we needed to do. The Hachibi was the first to go – as a sign of faith."

Confused, Sakura mouthed the words _sign of faith_ but didn't dare to interrupt again.

"Then, with the help of Tsunade-sama's Creation Rebirth Technique, I could sustain enough chakra to use my Sharingan…to hold the tailed beasts that were stranded in the corpses. One by one they went in. The Raikage and Gaara formed the seals. It wouldn't have worked if the biju hadn't gone somewhat willingly."

"Gone _where_?" said Sakura.

Kakashi looked her in the eye but said nothing, and a shiver swept through Sakura's body.

"You mean Naruto," she said.

"Heyah," said Kakashi. "He's jinchuriki for eight separate tailed beasts now. Only the One Tail is missing. We don't know where it is but we can be sure Tobi does – and he'll be back to get them all. He won't stop."

Sakura felt weak in the knees, her mind spinning again. As if Naruto's burden hadn't been heavy enough. She couldn't form a single word.

Kakashi's voice was reverent again. "I thought the Rikudo Sennin was a myth, but not anymore. Naruto is the Sage reborn, or something like him."

"_Rikudo Sennin_," Sakura whispered. For a few moments she was lost in thought. In disbelief. "Y-you said there were new orders?"

"Heyah," Kakashi said with a weary nod. "War or not, the Raikage is taking Bee's body back to Kumogakure for a funeral. Naruto wants to go, and it is for the best if he does."

"I don't understand, Kakashi-sensei."

He heaved a heavy sigh and a bright spot of fresh blood stained the bandage on his arm.

"Like I said, Tobi's strategy – his Eye of the Moon Plan – depends on the tailed beasts. We have taken all but one, and now they are conveniently in one place. Sealed into one person. He will be back to get them."

"What is the plan?"

"Naruto needs time to get control over the biju – to get used to them and try to gain their cooperation. Once he does it will be difficult to take him down – maybe impossible. We need to give him that time. Naruto will travel to Kumogakure with the Raikage, and after Bee's funeral, he will…disappear into the back country for a while – somewhere Tobi wouldn't think to look."

A gust of wind scattered leaves around them, and a lock of hair strayed across her face. Sakura smoothed it behind her ear. "D-disappear? By himself?"

Kakashi shook his head slowly. "Tsunade-sama has asked that you accompany Naruto. Your team bond makes you the best choice, and he shouldn't travel without someone...without a medical-nin – just in case."

If it were possible, her heart was pounding harder than before. "And what about Sai? Will he be going on this mission too?"

"No. He will stay here under my command."

"Then—"

"You will go to the Land of Lightning with two of Killer Bee's subordinates." Kakashi paused as if he couldn't remember their names, but Sakura wasn't falling for it. For some reason he didn't want to say them and she was pretty sure she knew why. "After Naruto has paid his respects, the two of you will move on alone."

"It's Karui and Omoi, isn't it? The subordinates?" said Sakura. She was trying to practice the ninja code she knew so well, and remember to show the proper respect, but just the thought of that bitch beating on Naruto for his loyalty and her hands had curled into trembling fists.

Kakashi laughed uncomfortably. "I knew you wouldn't like the idea. They probably don't either." Then he soberly added, "But their master is dead, Sakura, and these are your orders. The success of Naruto's new mission means everything to the alliance. To the world."

"I understand." That was a lie. She didn't understand anything, but she straightened her frame and steadied her voice. "When do I leave?"

"Immediately. The two from Kumo arrived in camp at the same time Gai and I returned. They're waiting for you to pack the gear and supplies you need. You'll get more orders once you're in Kumo."

Sakura turned to go but hesitated. It would be smarter not to make this personal, and yet it was way too late for that. Kakashi already knew everything. He had witnessed firsthand her declaration of love, what a fool she had made of herself, and how Naruto had put her in her place with his reaction. Kakashi had witnessed her inability to kill Sasuke when it was her duty. There was no point in pretending none of that had happened. After all, Naruto hated people who lied to themselves…

"Kakashi-sensei?" she said, facing him once more.

"Heyah?"

"Does Naruto know I've been assigned? That I'll be the one meeting him and—"

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama has told him by now. Even if he doesn't know, Sakura," Kakashi's tone was low and serious, "he will be happy to see you. That guy...he—"

She bowed her head in the hopes he wouldn't finish the sentence. Whatever Kakashi was going to say, she wasn't sure she could bear to hear it. Mercifully, he understood her silent request and let it go.

"Please, Sensei. Promise me you will go to the hospital – that you will let Shizune help you?"

They exchanged nods and Sakura turned on her heel.

"If he tries to give you any trouble," Kakashi called after her, "just remind Naruto that you still outrank him."

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><p>The trip to Kumogakure with Karui and Omoi had passed without incident. Sakura had expressed her condolences and they had been accepted – a little reluctantly, maybe, but she wouldn't hold that against them in their time of loss.<p>

Otherwise she had kept a discreet distance from her escorts who, despite their grief, did a lot of punching and quarrelling. Instead of wanting to hit them herself, Sakura found an unexpected comfort in their companionship. Their bond reminded her of her own with Naruto, and she wondered if either Karui or Omoi had figured out yet what all that shoving and arguing was really about. The thought made her smile.

Karui was still a bitch for giving Naruto that terrible beating, but during the quiet hours the three of them had travelled, when there was nothing to do but think, Sakura had come to the conclusion that it wasn't Karui's fault. Naruto had taken that beating. He'd let it happen. Sakura knew it was yet another case where he had chosen her feelings – and Sasuke – over himself. That's what he always did.

Maybe now that things were different, that Sasuke was truly no longer between them, they could talk about it. Maybe.

The last few miles up into the mountains were the hardest. Night was falling, and Karui and Omoi seemed to gain speed when the lights of the village came into view above. Sakura kept up with them despite the altitude, becoming more and more aware of the damp chill that was creeping into her bones. It wasn't just the thick clouds that choked out the stars, or the cold mist that hung in the air. She was only minutes away from Naruto now, and didn't know what to expect. Would he be as happy to see her as Kakashi had thought? She wasn't sure.

Once inside the village her guides took her directly to the large building that was a seamless part of the tallest mountain. There was just enough light left to see that it was blue, and that the symbol for lightning was mounted in the center of a series of huge windows. That was the Raikage's office, she assumed. The view from there was probably breathtaking if the sun ever came out.

Sakura followed the morbidly silent Karui and Omoi through the large doors. The interior of the building was only slightly warmer than it was outside, but it was dry and for that Sakura was thankful. They were met in the foyer by a beautiful young woman with white hair, flawless brown skin, and a bosom to rival Tsunade-sama's. Her clothes looked expensive and none too big. To Sakura's eye there was something…feline about her.

"Karui, Omoi, welcome home. The Raikage will see you now," the woman said, indicating the ornate double doors on their right.

Sakura's travelling companions exchanged a look of resolute despair, and she truly pitied them. How would she feel if it were Kakashi-sensei? Or Tsunade-sama? Without sparing a word or even a glance for her, they turned the handles of the doors together. A shaft of golden light angled into the foyer for a moment, and when it had gone the white-haired woman spoke again.

"Haruno Sakura?"

"Yes."

"You are the Hokage's apprentice?"

The woman seemed to ask the question with some surprise. "Yes," said Sakura.

"I am Marui."

Sakura bowed.

"A room has been arranged for you on the floor below, next to Naruto-sama. I hope that will meet your needs."

_Naruto-sama_? Sakura supposed it made sense; the shinobi of Kumo were well known for their preoccupation with the power of jinchuriki, and Kakashi had said Naruto was something like the Rikudo Sennin now. But something about it didn't sit well, and a different kind of chill was creeping into her bones.

"I'm sure it will, thank you."

Sakura bowed again and followed Marui down the hallway. The way the woman walked made her skirt seem even shorter than it actually was, and Sakura glared at her back as they went down the stairs. The lower level hallway was dimly lit, although the long row of lights was still bright enough to make the polished floor gleam. Each door was reflected so perfectly in its surface that it was almost confusing. None of the doors had any identifiable markings, either. All were painted a pale blue, all looked exactly the same. Sakura reminded herself to count on her next trip so she could find the right door again.

Nearly halfway down the corridor Marui stopped, opened one of the doors, and stood aside. "I'm sure you would like to rest and…clean up," she said, the brow over one eye arching slightly. "A tray of food will be brought to you in one hour."

"Thank you," Sakura said, bowing with more respect than she felt. But if it had meant Marui would leave sooner she'd have bowed twice.

At that moment the door just to the right opened. A few inches at first, then wider, then nearly off its hinges. The bright light behind him made a sort of halo around his head.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said.

A flood of different feelings rushed through her at the sound of his rough voice, and they were standing toe to toe before her name had stopped echoing off the walls. Sakura hadn't finished setting down her pack or even had a chance to smile at him and yet Marui was talking again.

"Naruto-sama," she said. Her voice was definitely not rough. It was smooth and silky. Like a sickening purr. "As I was telling your…associate, a tray of food will be brought to you in one hour."

"Okay," said Naruto.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Naruto-sama?"

Sakura held his complete attention, although he shrugged and said, "I can't think of anything."

"Good night, then," said Marui, who nodded at Sakura before bowing to Naruto and turning back toward the stairs. He didn't give her – or her short skirt – another glance, and the sound of her footsteps faded quickly.

"Sakura-chan." Apart from her name Naruto didn't seem to know what to say.

Sakura took those wordless moments to study his face. There were traces of cuts and scratches, and a deep bruise along his forehead and temple that was still healing. But her immediate impression was that he looked older. Stronger. Weathered. More like a man. And yet…lingering in his posture, and the clearness of his bright blue eyes, was the same sincere boy she had always known.

He seemed to be studying her face too. What he was looking for, or what he could see, she didn't know. Instinct compelled her to put her arms around his shoulders. It wasn't easy to hug him again; the last time she did he had pushed her away.

"I'm so sorry about your friend, Naruto," Sakura said softly, her cheek resting against the pulse in his neck. "And for what you've had to do. Everything changed so fast." It felt as if his hands were resting on her heavy travelling cloak, somewhere around her waist, but she couldn't tell for sure. "Do you know where we're going yet? After the funeral?"

Naruto stepped back, and in one swift motion he had taken her hand, pulled her into his room, and shut the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Reminder, this story is mostly canon-compliant but AU. I put a stake in the ground after 568 and I'm going from there. I don't plan to cover everything going on in Kishi's world. This is about Naruto and Sakura, and what might happen if they were left alone long enough. :)

Many thanks to **Scarlett71177** for putting up with me and my little projects. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

And finally...

Sincere thanks to everyone who reviewed. Each comment is appreciated.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Not expecting Naruto's sudden and confusing actions, Sakura was piqued. Out of reflex she tried to yank her hand from his but couldn't. His arm was like a band of steel, and despite her own ability to generate superhuman strength she was no match for him. Naruto not only looked stronger, he was stronger. _Much_ stronger.

The little tug-of-war put them both off balance, and they stumbled together a few steps until she landed with her back to the door and Naruto was pressed against her.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" she said, struggling as much with the confinement of her heavy cloak as with him. Between the two she was trapped.

"Shhhhhh." Naruto's voice was uncharacteristically quiet and close to her ear. "We can't let them hear."

"Hear _what_?" she said, indignant. "You getting fresh and me kicking you in the—?"

He leaned in even closer and whispered, "Our plan…where we're going when we leave here tomorrow."

Sakura stopped struggling. This was serious.

"Why? What's going on?" she whispered.

Naruto's right hand was flat against the door, to the left of her head, and he straightened his arm, pushing back just far enough that they could see each other face to face.

"I'm not sure." Each word he whispered was warm against her lips. "But Tsunade-baachan and Kakashi-sensei told me not to say anything about where I'm going to anyone…except you."

Sakura's mind raced, trying to catch up. She'd noticed that Marui's footsteps had faded awfully quickly. Naruto must have noticed too. Had Marui gone to hide on the stairs and listen? Was she out in the hallway now? Were their rooms bugged?

"What are they afraid of?" Her voice was a thread of sound.

"That maybe the Raikage will try to keep me here…or kill me for the biju."

"What?" In shock, Sakura felt the blood drain from her face as she stared into his eyes. "Why would the Raikage kill you? We're allies now."

"He already tried to kill me once before – on the battlefield. He said he would kill Bee too, if he had to. Tsunade-baachan and Bee fought him with me."

She tried to imagine it. "Why would he do that? I don't understand."

"Because he was afraid Bee and I would get captured by Tobi…and we'd lose the Hachibi and the Kyubi. But Bee—" Sakura watched as different emotions flickered across Naruto's face. "Bee told him…brother to brother…that it wasn't just the tailed beasts that make us strong, but the people who care about us."

Sakura was beginning to feel overwhelmed – by the information, by Naruto. It was then that she realized he was still holding her hand, and that a strange, tingling warmth was radiating up her arm.

"But now the Raikage has lost the Hachibi _and_ Bee, so they're thinking he might try to kill you again?" she whispered.

Naruto nodded.

"But why…why would Tsunade-sama let you travel with him to Kumo for the funeral if there was any real possibility of danger?" Sakura remembered the explanation she got when she received her orders. "Kakashi-sensei even said it was best if you _did _come here. I don't understand why they would risk your life—"

"Because we don't know for sure he's going to try something," Naruto whispered. "Like you said, we're supposed to be allies and we need to trust the Raikage as long as we can."

Unconvinced by that logic, Sakura frowned but didn't argue.

"The only thing I do know is there's something dark in his heart – about me." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again he nodded in confirmation. "I can feel it."

Sakura took that detail and tried to fit it into the puzzle that was taking shape in her mind. She also made a mental note to ask Naruto later – when they wouldn't have to whisper – how he knew what the Raikage felt.

"Do you have a plan for how we're going to…disappear?"

"Yeah, it's all set," said Naruto.

She nodded thoughtfully, knowing it was smartest to wait until they were away from there to ask what he had worked out. "So we're here…going to this funeral for political reasons," she said. "Tsunade-sama wants to prove nothing has changed – that we all still trust each other and the alliance is strong. When it's over we'll leave – hopefully without a challenge – and you'll complete your mission."

They were standing so close that when Naruto's shoulders rolled in an awkward shrug she could feel it. "I guess that's it," he said. "I don't know…I'm no good at this kind of stuff, Sakura-chan. You're the brains of this two-man team." He seemed to be studying her face again. "I only wanted to say goodbye to Bee."

"I know you did."

Sakura squeezed his hand, and for some time they just stood there staring into each other's eyes. Naruto let her go and backed off a little, his mouth forced into a smile that was all wrong for the circumstances. She knew that smile. It was the one that meant he didn't know what to do next.

She didn't either. Her knees were weak and she felt cold again. Cold and tired. From the look of him Naruto was tired too. It was no wonder, considering everything he must have been through in recent days. Weeks. Months. They had all been through a lot.

"I'm going to clean up before dinner," she said in her regular voice. "And then I'm going to get some sleep. You should too."

Naruto was disappointed, she could tell, but he didn't say anything. He really couldn't if their conversation was being monitored.

He moved away then and she could see further into his room. His clothes were strewn around – near his pack, on the chair, all over the sleeping mat – as if there had been some kind of explosion, and she noticed there was a big, slimy-looking spot on the polished floor. She turned up her nose at the sight of it. He couldn't have been there more than two days and already he'd made an embarrassing mess.

She sighed. He was still such a boy.

* * *

><p>There were no windows in her room to check for daylight, but Sakura assumed it was still early. There was no point in getting out of bed. Naruto would not be awake yet, and she had no intention of taking a stroll or doing any sightseeing to while away the time. Despite the veneer of hospitality, Kumogakure was clearly not a comfortable place for outsiders, and after hearing Naruto's story she realized there was too much risk in making unnecessary conversation with the locals.<p>

So she stayed put, lying on her back and staring at long shadows the bedside lamp cast upon the pale blue ceiling of her guest quarters. She'd stayed awake for far too long last night, going over everything – from Kakashi's report, to meeting Marui, to Naruto's loud greeting in the hallway, all the way through their whispered conversation – and analyzing it front to back. The progression of events, and why certain decisions had been made, seemed a lot clearer to her now.

Kakashi had implied that Naruto and Bee had joined the fight together and had fought side by side. Bee fell, and then the Hachibi created an unexpected path for the allied forces to control eight of the biju and strengthen their position. When the Raikage, Tsunade-sama, and Gaara-sama had agreed to that plan, they had done so on behalf of the alliance and as equal stakeholders in the outcome. But Naruto – a shinobi from Konoha – was the only logical container, and that naturally gave more power and influence to the Land of Fire.

Whatever his commitment might have been to the alliance, the Raikage must have felt he and his people were taking a huge risk. His village had relied on the protection of the Hachibi for many years. But it was suddenly torn from them…taken from the still-warm body of his brother and sealed into Naruto – who by all accounts is a hotheaded and unpredictable ninja who never thinks about politics or the big picture. That would be a lot for any leader to take.

And Naruto, in his endless loyalty, made an impulsive and emotional plea to help put his friend to rest. Sakura could easily imagine it…the raw emotion that would have been in his voice. Once the request was made so openly, Tsunade-sama could not refuse without raising the question of trust. She'd had no choice but to let Naruto travel to Kumo.

Sakura sighed heavily. It was difficult to believe the Raikage would actually do anything to jeopardize the success of the war, but people could make bad choices when they were confused and hurting. No one knew that better than her. And if the Raikage had been willing to kill Naruto and his own brother to avoid risking two biju, how far would he go to protect eight of them?

_The only thing I do know is there's something dark in his heart – about me. _

Naruto's belief in the Raikage's dark feelings seemed to be the only current evidence that they might be in trouble. What did 'something dark' even mean? Resentment that Naruto was alive and Bee was not? Jealousy that Naruto was the only one strong enough to contain the tailed beasts? Because Naruto would be the one to control so much power? Or did the Raikage simply hate Naruto for hate's sake, the way Sasuke did?

Sakura shivered and turned on her side, burrowing down under the covers and pulling them up to her chin. She didn't understand how anyone could hate Naruto. He was the best person she knew.

Her thoughts wandered back to him then, to those minutes when he had used his body to hold her still against the door. Naruto was so…_physical_. A kinesthete, Tsunade-sama had once called him. Someone who learned, interpreted the world, and expressed himself with his body more than his mind. It explained a lot about him, although Sakura had to admit that when she was younger she couldn't appreciate it. That wasn't true anymore.

They had held hands last night. For no real reason. As her heart began to beat faster, Sakura closed her eyes and drifted in the memory of how it had felt to give in to Naruto's strength. How every breath they had taken pressed them closer together, and how the heat from his fingers had warmed the back of her hand. His mouth had been so close to hers…so close that the words they had whispered to each other could easily have been kisses…

A blush burned her cheeks and then slowly spread through the rest of her body. It didn't make any sense. She was lying there, undeniably hot and bothered by the thought of Naruto…of being with him, and yet she had fought to get away when he took her hand last night. Why was her first instinct _always_ to lash out at him?

_You're more like Karui than you want to believe_, she told herself.

A loud knock on the door shook Sakura from her private thoughts. She got out of bed quickly, pulling on a long-sleeved shirt and pants and running her fingers through her hair before answering the door.

"Karui," said Sakura, not particularly amused by the coincidence.

Omoi was in the hallway as well. He must have knocked on Naruto's door at the same time, although Naruto obviously hadn't answered yet.

"Are all Konoha shinobi this lazy?" Karui smirked.

Omoi leaned to the side as if he was hoping to catch Sakura in skimpy bedclothes or something. Karui didn't look at him but smacked her fist into the side of his arm and pushed him back toward Naruto's door. They didn't seem very somber considering the occasion they were facing, and Sakura refused to give either of them the reaction they wanted.

"What time is it?" said Sakura, her tone as kind as she could manage. Naruto's door finally opened and she could hear his raspy voice asking the same question.

"It's nine o'clock," said Karui. "The service is at ten."

It was later than Sakura had thought. Karui seemed to drop her haughty attitude then, and pulled what looked like a laundry package from under her arm. She held it out to Sakura.

"It's the traditional dress of our village – in black. I knew…well, _we_ knew," Karui tipped her head toward Omoi, who was making a similar offering to Naruto, "that you didn't have time to prepare for a funeral. It's our way of—" She glanced at the floor before she straightened her frame and met Sakura's gaze again. "Of saying thank you for coming here and honoring our master."

Sakura stared at her, trying to come up with the right thing to say. "W-we are proud to be here," she said, finding her voice again. She took the package from Karui's hands. "And thank you for this."

Karui bowed and moved back. Shifting her attention to Omoi, she nudged him roughly as an indication that it was time to go. He was still talking to Naruto, saying something about having known that Killer Bee was too great for this world. It was a serious thought coming from a guy with a lollipop in his mouth.

Sakura stepped out into the hallway to watch her travelling companions disappear onto the stairs. Naruto was staring at the laundry package in his hands. The expression on his face reminded her that he was grieving too. She wouldn't hesitate to take the pain from him if she could, as he had tried to do for her so many times, but that wasn't how these things worked.

"Go on," she said softly. When Naruto looked up she gave him a sweet smile and pointed toward his room. "Get dressed. There's no getting around it, Naruto. We have to go through it." He nodded, turned back into his room, and shut the door.

"You people really like to show a lot of skin," Sakura said some time later, examining her reflection in the small mirror. This time she actually hoped her comments _were_ being monitored.

It had taken her a while to figure out the pieces of the dress and how to wear them. The skirt was the easy part. It struck at the lower calf in length, but the angled hem was considerably shorter on one side than the other. The longer seam had a slit up to the knee, and there was a triangular piece of fabric that tied at the waist, like a hip scarf, and its point was meant to match up with the other seam.

The top was a different story. There were two parts. One was a single piece that pulled on like a jacket with a collar and short sleeves, but it also tied at the waist – one side folding over the other. Not that it folded much. It formed a rather plunging V that revealed a lot of the other garment, a tight camisole of mesh designed to accentuate cleavage – assuming, of course, one had breasts big enough to push together.

_A conspiracy – that's what this is_, Sakura thought, adjusting herself again to try to look a little more filled out. Her cheeks were as pink as her hair. The clothes fit the way they were supposed to, she assumed, but she cringed at the thought of how her body must have been described to the dressmaker: thin, athletic, and boyishly flat. She turned her back on the mirror. It wasn't her friend today.

As was her custom on the last day of a stay anywhere, Sakura took several minutes to make sure she collected all of her belongings and put them in her pack, setting it and her cloak by the door. Fastening her sandals, she left her room and knocked on Naruto's door. He opened it quickly, as if he'd been waiting for her.

"S-sakura-chan," he said.

Naruto always did look good in black, and the funeral clothes Omoi had given him were no exception. His hair was tame enough and he was very presentable, but the cut of the shirt was too wide and loose-fitting. It was missing something.

As if he could read her mind, Naruto said, "There's a belt…a sash or whatever…but I can't figure out—"

She brushed past him and into his room. No surprise that the sash was on the floor, although it did appear he had cleaned his room and packed everything else. It was all piled by the door similar to hers. Snatching up the sash, she walked back to him. He was still standing near the threshold.

Surveying the cut of the shirt again, Sakura slipped her arms around his waist and transferred the end of the belt to her other hand. She made a half-knot and pulled on both ends, then leaned back to see if it needed to be cinched any more.

As she worked Sakura became aware that Naruto wasn't watching what she was doing, he was watching her. She glanced at his face and found his gazed fixed to the plunging V. In all the years they had known each other, she had never seen him look at her like that. With hunger. A blush burned through her body again.

She pretended he couldn't see her reaction and finished the task. The knot tied, Sakura twisted the remaining length of the sash around the belt and tucked the end flat underneath. She made a few adjustments, and then smoothed the fabric across his chest where it had bunched up. Naruto's skin was hot beneath her hand. It wasn't the kind of hot that could be explained by the moment, either.

Alarmed, Sakura went into medical-nin mode. "Are you all right?" She took a closer look at him. His eyes were bright and clear and there was no sign of sweat.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "I'm fine."

She touched the back of her fingers to his cheek, then pressed her palm against his forehead. "You are not _fine_," she chided, "you're on fire. You have a fever, Naruto."

He reached up and took hold of her wrist, pulling her hand away. "No, I_ don't._ I'm fine." His brow was furrowed, as if he might be angry with her. When she opened her mouth to argue he leaned close and breathed into her ear, "Trust me, Sakura-chan."

She immediately felt stupid for not getting it sooner. For not realizing that whatever was going on, Naruto couldn't say – not there, anyway. Trust him? There was no question. She would to her dying day.

* * *

><p>Killer Bee's funeral was much like any other. Sakura had been to enough of them to know. This one was indoors, however, in a temple that been built into one of the mountains surrounding the village. Considering there were only a small number of grave markers nearby and they were all of high quality, Sakura assumed this space was reserved for the ruling class of Kumo.<p>

Placed in the row directly behind Karui and Omoi, she and Naruto were nearer to the front than she would have expected – a testament to how close Naruto and Bee had become. The mourners were spared at least some grief; there was no casket as Bee's body had already been cremated. The flower that Karui had pressed into Naruto's hand when they arrived for the service was destined to be laid beside a cold stone.

As the priest quietly chanted, Sakura watched smoke escape from the incense burner. It rose upward for some distance in a straight stream, and then eventually curled in upon itself, drifting away on invisible currents of air. About halfway through the sutra Naruto's shoulders slumped and his hand, suddenly over his heart, gripped the fabric of his black shirt and closed into a fist. His eyes were closed and he said nothing, but Sakura could tell from his breathing that he was in pain.

Concerned, she touched his sleeve and could feel the heat of his skin through the shirt. "Naruto?" she whispered.

"The Hachibi is…sad," he said, although she could barely hear him.

After a few moments Naruto nodded to himself and his eyes fluttered open. He didn't move or speak again until the priest intoned the final words and the mourners began file past Bee's grave stone.

When his turn came, Sakura could only watch in silence as Naruto knelt and added his flower to the collection. Then he reached out and pressed his fist against the grooves where Bee's name had been carved into the polished marker.

"I'm really going to miss you, bro; but I'll see you again, in the next life, yo!" he said.

The strange smile on Naruto's face threatened to bring tears to Sakura's eyes. _In the next life_. She didn't want him thinking about that. She had pulled herself together by the time he got to his feet.

"I know what to do now, Sakura-chan," he said, patting his stomach. He looked her straight in the eye and his brow was furrowed again. He was reminding her to trust his lead. "It's time we all got out of here."

_We all?_

Before she could ask what he meant by that or what he intended to do, Naruto turned away and was headed straight for the Raikage. Tension was squeezing her heart as she trailed behind him. There was something resolute in Naruto's manner now…in his wordless implication that she had to resist any impulse she might get to interfere. He seemed to have a plan but what was it? Sakura felt blind. Had Naruto kept her in the dark on purpose?

_If he tries to give you any trouble, just remind Naruto that you still outrank him._

That had turned out to be more of a joke than Kakashi-sensei had realized. If Naruto truly was the Sage or something like him, he was operating on a level beyond her understanding. There was no meaning in rank or position…

Sakura had no doubt that she and Naruto looked like frail children as they stood before the Raikage. It was her first look at him up close. He was an absolute tower of muscle, more than she had ever seen on any one man. He angled his head toward them and the point of the white Kage hat he wore shaded his eyes. There were dark circles beneath them, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. When he acknowledged them she bowed. Naruto did not.

"Naruto," said the Raikage, his gruff voice in contrast to the mood of the room.

"Thanks for letting me come here, and for giving us a place to stay," said Naruto.

"You're leaving?" The Raikage arched a white-blond brow over one eye, and Sakura couldn't tell if he meant it as a simple question or a challenge.

Naruto nodded. "I have an important mission to finish."

"Mmm."

The Raikage folded his arms and towered over them, but Naruto didn't even blink.

"You know, it wasn't long ago, Naruto, that you started training to control the Nine Tails – training you got from Bee…on _our_ island." The Raikage's tone was heavy with meaning. "And now, with his death you have gained the chakra of eight tailed beasts and think you can handle it alone." He glanced at Sakura then, his harsh eyes obviously assessing her half-exposed breasts. His massive shoulders shook with a silent laugh. "You and the Hokage's apprentice."

He could mock her and her cleavage all he wanted, but there was a thinly veiled insinuation in the way he had said _Hokage's apprentice_. As if Tsunade-sama was trying to manipulate him…somehow taking advantage. Sakura's fingernails were already cutting into the palms of her clenched hands.

"That's right," Naruto said evenly. "You have to trust me, Raikage."

The Raikage threw his head back and roared with grim laughter. "You and the Hokage convinced me once – to abandon my better judgment and give in to your recklessness. I have paid a heavy price for that mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake," said Naruto.

There were two men standing on either side of the Raikage, and all four of them were getting visibly agitated by Naruto's nerve. Sakura was sure most if not all of the other mourners had gone. That left the seven of them inside the temple, and she began to mentally click through their strategic options if it were to come down to a fight. The truth was she had no idea what Naruto was capable of now that he held so much power, but the raging fever in his body was surely proof that something was wrong…that he wasn't ready to test it.

"Bee is dead, and the Lightning's Hachibi is in the hands of Konoha – give me one reason why I should let you out of my sight."

"Because your savior is alive and well in me," said Naruto.

Sakura couldn't help but stare at Naruto.

The Raikage growled. "You use my own words against me."

"It's a lot of responsibility, I know, but no one else can do it, Raikage." Naruto took a step forward. "You…Tsunade-baachan…Gaara…you all trusted me enough to make me jinchuriki of these eight biju." He slid his hand over his stomach. "And they trusted me enough to be sealed in me. They haven't killed me yet – and I know they could if they wanted to. That's got to mean something to you."

The Raikage was silent for some time and Sakura wondered exactly what he was weighing in his mind. Was he calculating how he could kill Naruto? How best to obtain whatever secret or chakra Naruto possessed that made him capable of withstanding the constant threat inside him? She wished she knew.

Apparently the Raikage reached some kind of decision because he took a step toward Naruto. "As Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, it is still my duty to ensure our victory. I will grant you safe passage from Kumogakure on one condition."

"Name it."

"One of my men goes with you."

"Deal," said Naruto.

The Raikage smiled in a victorious way that left Sakura cold. He turned to the man on his left and said, "Be ready to leave within the hour."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," the man said.

Naruto bowed. Sakura went through the motions even though her mind was spinning. What had just happened? Why would Naruto make such a concession when his orders were to tell no one where he was going?

"Let's go back to our rooms and pack," said Naruto, already on his way out.

Karui and Omoi seemed to be waiting for them at the entrance but Naruto blew right past them. Sakura stared at his back as she fell in step behind him. _Pack?_ What was he talking about? He had already packed. She had seen his gear by the door. And he would know that she had packed too; she was _always_ packed before he was…

They emerged from the temple and into a world that had become a sea of black. She hadn't seen his hand seal, but Naruto's clones were everywhere – on that walkway and every other curved pathway that ringed the mountains of Kumo. There were thousands of them and he moved straight into the lookalike crowd ahead, yelling at her to follow. Sakura dashed after him, determined not to lose sight of the real Naruto.

After a short distance he stopped, and his clones closed ranks around them. Their packs and cloaks had been brought to that spot, no doubt by one of his copies. Naruto bit his thumb and formed another seal, and after he slammed his hand on the side of the mountain a giant brownish-red toad appeared.

The ground trembled but despite its size the toad had no problem keeping its footing on the steep slope, even though it was practically standing on its head. Sakura had seen this summon before, in the distance the day Naruto had fought Pain in Konoha. But now its moist, warty face loomed only a few feet above them.

"Naruto." The toad's voice was a throaty rumble, and it didn't sound any happier to be there than Sakura was to be near it.

"Hey, Boss," said Naruto.

"Need help saving your girlfriend again?"

Sakura had been so distracted by the bright red lipstick-like markings around its mouth that it took a minute for the toad's question to register.

"Uh…no." Naruto laughed uncomfortably and shot her a quick look as he ruffled the hair at the back of his neck. "We just need a ride today. Didn't Gamakichi tell you the plan?"

"You're no fun to tease anymore, Naruto," the toad said.

"Yeah…sorry about that, Boss, but we're kind of in a hurry. My clones can hold them off for a while, but—"

If a toad could heave a sigh of boredom, Sakura would swear this one just did. "All right," it said.

Its strange mouth opened and another, much smaller toad slipped out. It landed near their feet with a slimy splat. Sakura shuddered.

"What's the matter?" said Naruto.

Sakura didn't want to answer and insult Naruto's animal friends, but the truth was she hated frogs. Toads. Whatever. She shuddered again.

"Hold it." Naruto stood before her, a faint smile curving his mouth. "You can cut open dead bodies and stuff, but _toads_ gross you out?"

She nodded as apologetically as she could.

"Heh. You'll get over it, Sakura-chan," he said, his smile widening. "If you're going to be with me you have to."

Naruto collected their gear in one hand and spoke to the smaller toad. "Let's go," he said.

The toad's mouth grew wide, then wider still. Sakura watched in horror as Naruto put one foot inside and his leg disappeared up to the knee. The rest of his body followed, including the arm holding her pack and cloak, and he continued to sink into the toad until all that remained was his empty hand. He was holding it out for her.

Panic and disgust battled for control of her senses. In the distance she could hear shouts mixed with the Raikage's angry voice booming orders to find them, and the telltale sound of shadow clones dispersing. She had no choice.

Sakura took Naruto's hand and let herself be swallowed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Reminder, this story is mostly canon-compliant, and written in the spirit of canon, but I am clearly and intentionally making things up. ^_^ It covers canon plot through chapter 568, although I may borrow details from chapters after that.

Many thanks to **Scarlett71177**, whose patience with my fannishness is apparently endless. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"Whoa." Naruto took a few seconds to survey their new surroundings before he turned to her. "Everything okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded, although she didn't actually know if everything was okay or not. This was unfamiliar territory.

The toad that had swallowed them was significantly bigger on the inside than it had seemed from the outside. Its interior resembled a huge greenish-grey cavern with almost uniformly smooth walls and a high domed ceiling, and a muted drumming sound filled the space with the subtle, rhythmic pulse of life. There was nothing to distinguish their host's expandable mouth but a thin horizontal line, and opposite from where they stood was a similar line that Sakura assumed led to its stomach. For the inside of a toad the place wasn't slimy at all.

The entire floor of the cave appeared to be covered with small snail shells, pebbles, and sand just like a beach. The wreck of an old fishing boat and a small forest of driftwood were scattered across the confined landscape, and a section of what looked like a dock was laying nearby. It was as if she and Naruto had lost their way in a terrible storm, only to wash up on some remote and forgotten shore.

Naruto set their gear down and let go of her hand. "It's a diving toad," he said. "It was Gamakichi's idea to—"

The sandy beach lurched, and although they kept to their feet the strong shock wave created a visible ripple in the walls of the cave. Sakura gasped and cast wide eyes at the line where the toad's open mouth had been.

"What's going on out there?"

"I figure Boss just swallowed this toad and now he's on the move," said Naruto.

"S-so we're—" A jarring hiccup created an unplanned hesitation in her reply. "We're two levels deep in toad right now?"

"Yeah."

Naruto's lips curved in a questioning smile. He was probably wondering if she was grossed out again so she made the effort to smile back. There was another lurch, followed by another shock wave and another hiccup. An image of the scene they were leaving behind popped into Sakura's mind; the Raikage and his men, maybe Karui and Omoi, reacting to the sight of a giant, rust-colored toad bounding down through the mountains and beyond their reach.

"Where are we going?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?" The muscles in her diaphragm contracted once more, forcing air out of her mouth with an embarrassing sound. One wrong breath and now she had a bad case of hiccups. Sakura frowned. "But you said everything was all set, Naruto. This may be the most important mission of your life – of _everyone's_ – and you're telling me you don't—"

"Boss is going to decide where we go," he said, purposely cutting her off before she could get completely wound up.

"What? Why?" She hiccupped again, silently this time.

"Because he can move a lot faster than the diving toad."

Before she could argue that his answer didn't make sense the whole cave pitched again.

"When he's away from Kumo," Naruto went on after the tremor had rolled through, "and sure he hasn't been tracked, Boss is going to find a lake – maybe a river – somewhere in the country. Then he'll drop us off and head back to Mount Myoboku." Naruto's hands were resting on his hips and he was smiling again, the picture of confidence. "Nobody will know where we are, Sakura-chan. Even we won't know."

Her mind raced to catch up. "But how is this going to work? Kakashi-sensei said you needed time—" Hiccup. "Time to get control of the biju. That power sealed in you, Naruto – all that chakra – if you use it, or lose control of it while you're training, a sensor will be able to find you from a distance no matter where you hide!" She managed to finish the sentence before she hiccupped again.

A series of powerful jolts shook the cavern then, as if the giant toad had made several huge leaps in a row. Wherever they were going they were heading there fast.

Naruto stretched his arms out and looked up toward the ceiling. "This toad's stomach blocks chakra. Gamakichi told me it's like a shield. So I can train in here until I get it right." He looked her in the eye and grinned with satisfaction. "It won't matter who's looking for me – the Raikage, Tobi, or Tsunade-baachan – they won't find me until I'm ready."

…_after Bee's funeral, he will…disappear into the back country for a while – somewhere Tobi wouldn't think to look._

Naruto had improved upon the plan Kakashi had outlined. He wasn't somewhere Tobi wouldn't think to look; he was somewhere Tobi _couldn't_ look. Sakura was genuinely impressed. It was a perfect strategy.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," he said, mistaking her silent admiration for uneasiness. He was surveying the landscape again. "We can still go outside when we need to."

_When we need to._ It was Naruto's way of assuring her there would be privacy for personal business. At that particular moment, however, Sakura was less concerned about modesty than access to food and clean water. She had brought enough supplies to last them about a week if they were careful, but that wasn't enough and there was no way of knowing where they would end up. No way of knowing what they could expect to find when they left this toad again. It was going to be rustic living for sure, but that was nothing new; they had been through this sort of thing together countless times. It was shinobi life on a mission.

While her hiccups and the shock waves continued at random intervals, Sakura followed Naruto's current line of sight. His attention was fixed on the old fishing boat.

"I want to see what's in it," he announced. It had been too long since she'd heard that boyish spirit of adventure in his voice, and couldn't resist tagging along when he set off toward the wreck.

The sand was soft to walk in and so dry that it flowed in and out of their sandals with every stride. That didn't seem to make sense, considering they were inside a toad and everything else around them would normally be in water. But Sakura wasn't about to complain. If they were going to be in there for days or maybe weeks, dry was infinitely better than wet or damp. She hiccupped again, and as they walked she tried holding her breath to get rid of them. It didn't work. If anything they got worse.

When they reached the old boat Naruto climbed over the side, the battered hull creaking and groaning under his weight. He stepped up onto the bow and struck the pose of a captain sailing straight for a sunny horizon. After a minute he took an unnaturally deep breath and Sakura could tell by the way his jaw was set that his thoughts had become heavy.

"What is it, Naruto?"

After a long pause he said, "I was just thinking about Bee…about when I met him." He sighed again before he jumped back down, and it seemed that whatever was on his mind he would rather push it aside than share it. "I wonder how long this thing's been in here?" he said, looking around.

"It's hard to say."

Sakura peered into the boat from where she stood and watched as Naruto investigated. There wasn't much inside. Some fishing gear, a few nets beaded with small glass floats, a bundle of torches, a bottle of kerosene, a faded life preserver ring, and a stringer of what was once fresh catch hanging from a nail. The unlucky fish were nothing but bones and clumps of leathery scales now, dangling from metal pins that had been looped through their jaws. Sakura wondered what had happened to the real captain who must have been in this boat when it was swallowed.

Naruto collected the torches and kerosene. "We can use these," he said, handing them to her. "Gamakichi said we could have a fire while we're in here – without hurting the toad or anything."

Sakura opened her mouth to ask a question about smoke, but only hiccupped loudly. Naruto stared at her, his smile widening by the second.

"What?" she said, knowing she already sounded more defensive than she should. "Haven't you ever had the hiccups before?"

"Yeah, but I don't sound like a toad when I do."

"I don't sound like a toad!" she said flatly.

"Heh. Yes, you do." Naruto locked his hands behind his neck and shrugged innocently, the way he used to when he was caught doing something outrageous in class. "And I know I said you'd get over not liking them, but you really don't have to try sounding like one just to impress me, Sakura-chan."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not trying to _impress_ you, and I _do not_ sound like a t—" Another violent spasm betrayed her and the last word erupted as a croak.

Naruto was laughing. "Yeah, just like a toad." He beamed as her frustration grew. "But I like it. You're definitely my kind of girl."

Sakura paid no attention to the flirtatious compliment and instead lifted her chin in defiance. "I need to be still and hold my breath to get rid of them," she said in her best lecturing tone, "but since you _insisted_ on walking over here I couldn't do that, so—"

"I've heard the best way to get rid of hiccups is tickling," he said.

Naruto's eyes were suddenly sparkling with pure, unadulterated, pervy mischief. Sakura automatically took a step backward.

"Ohhhhh, no you don't. Y-you wouldn't _dare_."

"You're daring me, Sakura-chan? Hmm." His brow furrowed and Naruto stroked his chin as he pretended to seriously contemplate his own question.

Sakura shook her head slowly, trying to keep an unwanted smile from turning up the corners of her mouth. "Try it and I'll knock you into next week," she warned.

"Think you still can?" The game had become a challenge, and something about it caused a flutter of excitement in her that was impossible to ignore. Naruto picked up the life preserver and put it around his neck, a broad grin revealing his straight white teeth. He flexed his hands into claws. "Okay, let's go then."

Sakura took another step backward and assessed her chances of evading him. They weren't good, especially since she wasn't sure she really wanted to. She hiccupped again. Naruto jumped out of the boat and growled.

Her heart beating wildly, Sakura turned and ran. She dashed in the direction of their pile of gear, focusing on it like a finish line – as if reaching it first would magically signal a no-tickling truce. The sand masked Naruto's footfalls but not his impish laughter, and she knew he was right behind her, matching her step for step. She was nearly back to where they had started when his hands grabbed her waist, stopping her short.

The torches and kerosene slipped from her grasp and tumbled into the sand as he spun her around. At the demand of instinct, chakra rushed into her arm and Sakura took a powerful swing at him. Just as her fist was about to make contact with his jaw it smacked loudly against the palm of his hand instead. A second later Naruto had a hold on her wrist and used it to pull her as close against him as the ridiculous life preserver would allow.

She struggled at first, out of principle, but it only made her more aware of him…of his body.

"I won," she blurted.

"It wasn't a race, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled, loose blond hair framing his flushed face. "I was helping you get rid of your hiccups."

He leaned back slightly as if he was checking to see if his plan had worked. Sakura hadn't given a single thought to her dress until his gaze drifted to the black mesh that barely concealed her breasts. The playful blue glitter in his eyes melted into the same unmistakable hunger she had seen before.

"Well, no more hiccups," she said softly, "as you can see." Was it wrong to let him look? Wrong that he made her feel pretty and wanted? Confused by her own feelings, Sakura drew his attention back to conversation. "Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh." His voice was rough and a hint of red colored his whisker-marked cheeks, but he let her go abruptly and walked away, pulling the life preserver off over his head and tossing it aside. "That's good, right?" he said, suspiciously cheerful.

She nodded and scrambled for safer emotional ground, and if her intuition was worth anything she was sure Naruto was doing the same thing.

"I guess we should set up camp," he said.

It seemed that the lurches and shock waves had finally stopped, meaning that Boss, as Naruto called him, must have found a suitable place to hide the diving toad and them along with it. Were they in a sedgeland? A shallow river? Resting at the bottom of a muddy lake? It didn't matter, she supposed. Naruto trusted it to be the safest place in the world right now, and she trusted him. They might as well make themselves at home.

They worked quietly, performing the same routine tasks they'd done a hundred times: clearing the ground – which in this case was easy because of the softness of the sand – laying out their bedrolls, taking an inventory of their food and supplies, and hanging any wet clothes up to dry.

Although it was a little cool inside the toad they probably wouldn't need a fire, but Naruto spent a lot of time gathering firewood anyway. Sakura got the impression he wanted an excuse to put some distance between them for a while. She busied herself by setting the torches up in a rough square around their small camp. Between two of them she strung a length of rope over which she draped their travelling cloaks.

As she filled the other two torches with kerosene, she kept one eye on Naruto as he wandered through the cave. She wondered what he was thinking. Wondered what he was feeling. They might still be at ease as teammates, but apart from that bond there was undeniable tension. He was out there walking around to avoid it.

_Give me a break, Sakura-chan. I told you that joke's not funny._

Saying she loved him wasn't a joke then, and was even less of a joke now. Sakura sighed. So much remained unresolved between them, and more than anything she wondered if he would ever talk to her about it…if they would ever get past what happened that day in the Land of Iron.

"How did you come up with this plan?" she asked when he finally returned, making a point to smile at him. She tightened the lid on the kerosene bottle and set it beside her pack.

Naruto dumped his armload of smooth, grey driftwood onto the sand. "Well, after I got to Kumo I summoned Gamakichi, and then he reverse summoned me to Mount Myoboku – so we could talk, you know, in private."

She nodded. That explained the slimy spot she'd seen on the floor in his room in Kumo. Sakura had to admit Naruto's toad friends were handy and resourceful.

"I told him what was going on." He glanced at her sheepishly then, as if he expected to be scolded for revealing his plans against orders. "I told him how I needed someplace safe to train where no one could find me – I mean, find us – and Gamakichi thought this diving toad would do the trick. I went back to Kumo while he worked everything out."

"It was a very good decision, Naruto," said Sakura.

"I figured it was best." He grew more serious. "If the Raikage or anyone else tries to accuse Tsunade-baachan of anything, she can tell the truth and say she doesn't know where I am." He tilted his head in the general direction of the outside world. "Everybody in the alliance will be equal again. This way…it's fair."

Sakura caught herself openly staring at him. Naruto always seemed to know what was right and he never gave up until he made it happen, no matter what it cost him. It was an instinct that came as naturally to him as breathing. She admired him for it, but that wasn't the only feeling it inspired. There was a measure of envy mixed in, too. Living up to his standard of selflessness was an impossible task. She had already made so many mistakes trying.

Before she could think of what to say Naruto's expression changed and he began to seize, his fist twisting the fabric of his shirt just over his heart. His eyes were shut tight against the pain, in the same way they had been during Bee's funeral. Sakura's hand was on his forehead in an instant. The fever was intense.

"This way is fair to everyone but you," she said bitterly. "Please, Naruto, let me help you."

Without any complaints or denials he dropped to his knees in the sand and sat back on his heels, and Sakura knelt before him. First sliding her fingers over his knotted fist and urging him to relax, she then searched for the ends of the sash she had tied around his waist only a few hours ago.

"May I?" At his nod she untied the knot in the belt, and then Naruto raised his arms so she could pull the black shirt over his head. She wasn't prepared for what she saw.

Except for the heat most of his skin appeared normal, the tone pale and smooth and flawless. But a large seal was clearly visible on his abdomen. It was an odd, asymmetrical pattern she had never seen before, consisting of a single tomoe set upon one ring in a series of concentric circles. The design looked as if it had been burned into his flesh with white hot metal. The skin surrounding all the markings was blistering as she watched, the lesions forming and fading in such rapid succession that the entire seal seemed to be bubbling.

Sakura focused chakra in her hands and pressed them against his chest. The moment she touched him his head rocked backward and he clenched his teeth, his eyes still closed. A blazing, malevolent rage was churning inside him, and although it scared her she was determined not to pull away. Naruto's entire body was under siege, continuously burned and restored by the immense and tangled mass of tailed beast chakra.

It was like that day he had taken the four-tailed form – when the Kyubi had made Naruto forget himself and attack her. His flesh had been under siege then too, scorched by the uncontrolled power of its chakra. She remembered how it had felt and recognized its ancient signature even now, merged with Naruto's. It was their combined chakra – his and the Nine Tails' – that was allowing him to stay in control. Barely. But until she fully understood what was happening to him, the most she could do was offer him temporary relief.

Naruto held perfectly still as Sakura concentrated and sent another wave of healing energy through every chakra coil in his system, specifically tuned to target his vital organs and skin. After a few minutes of sustained treatment he was breathing easier, and his temperature had cooled somewhat.

"That feels really good," he whispered.

"Hushhhhh."

She continued to flood him with soothing chakra until he opened his eyes. When she withdrew her hands Naruto leaned back so she could better inspect the injury. The skin around the seal was inflamed and waxy-looking, but it was no longer actively blistering.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan."

He was about to stand when she laid her hand on his arm.

"You should rest, Naruto."

"I will later, I promise." He met her gaze with determination. "But you said it yourself. This is the most important mission of my life and I should be training."

Maybe that was true, but it didn't change the fact that the most important mission of _her_ life was to make sure he took care of himself. "At least have something to eat first?"

The light in his eyes told her he liked that idea. Before he could change his mind Sakura reached across the bedrolls to grab her water canteen, the leather pouch that contained most of their food, and a large square bandage from her medical kit. Opening the canteen, she wet the bandage and handed it to Naruto.

"What's this for?"

"Clean your hands," she commanded.

Once he had done as he was told she withdrew an onigiri with salted salmon and a large apple from the food bag and handed them to him. Naruto didn't stand on ceremony, attacking the rice ball in a way that reminded her of Choji. In three bites he had it finished and moved on to the apple.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?" He started to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand but she tossed the bandage at him again and frowned.

"What did you mean when you told the Raikage that the biju could kill you if they wanted?"

"It's kind of hard to explain." He took a big bite of apple and tucked it against his cheek. "See, when Mom helped me take Kurama's chakra—"

"Y-your mom?"

"Yeah." Naruto was suddenly aglow with the brightest smile she had ever seen. "Dad added the last of Mom's chakra to the seal too, so I would be able to meet her — so she could help me." He chewed the bite of apple, lost for a moment in private memories. "Mom was so cool, Sakura-chan. You would have liked her."

Although he had told her about meeting his father through the seal during Pain's attack on Konoha, for some reason this was different and the raw emotion of it struck her hard. He'd been given a chance to meet the mother he never knew. Sakura couldn't decide what made her heart ache more – that his parents had found a way to give their son such an impossibly beautiful gift, or that it was all Naruto would ever have of them.

She knew he didn't like it when she cried, but there was nothing to be done about it. He watched a tear slowly roll down her cheek until she wiped it away, the apple temporarily forgotten in his hand.

"You were saying?" she said.

"Uh…oh," he nodded, "now that I have Kurama's chakra—"

"Wait—" Sakura finally caught what he'd said and sat up straight. "The Nine Tails has a name?"

"Yeah." Naruto laughed. "He never told me, though. Son did."

"And who is Son?"

"The Four Tails."

"I see." But she didn't. She didn't see at all. While she had accepted that Naruto was operating on a level beyond her understanding, that didn't make it any easier to grasp how he could possibly be on speaking terms with any of the frightening entities within him. "So…now that you have Kurama's chakra—?" she prompted again.

"Yeah, now that I do I can sense negative thoughts – hate, killing intent, lies – all kinds of bad stuff."

So that was how he knew there was 'something dark' in the Raikage's heart. "Then the Nine Tails – I mean, Kurama – helps you?"

"Um…kind of. Like I said, it's hard to explain." Naruto slid his free hand over the angry seal on his stomach. "I already took his chakra. I think that's what this means." He pointed to the single tomoe in the seal's design. "I can use it whenever I need to, but I don't think it's a good idea right now."

"I don't understand, Naruto," she said, handing him the canteen. "Hydrate, please." At his confused look she made a drinking motion.

He took a few swallows of water and then a slow, deep breath. "Well, the biju are — heh — they're like a bunch of old friends who don't get along. They're not just fighting with me, they're fighting with each other — and if I try to use Kurama's chakra to help me I think it will just make them all madder."

The more he explained the more confused Sakura became. "But Kakashi-sensei said it was the Hachibi's idea — that the tailed beasts agreed to be sealed in you. If that's true, why are they fighting you? Why would they try to kill you?"

"I don't think they really want to kill me." Naruto's brow furrowed. "I think — I think they want to help me because I've promised I'm their friend, and they'd rather be controlled by me than Tobi. It's just — they don't like people very much, that's all."

_I've promised I'm their friend._

Naruto wanted to save Sasuke. He wanted to save the alliance. Now he wanted to save the tailed beasts. The monstrous fury she had sensed when she touched him was her latest lesson in their dislike of humans. The biju were nothing short of terrifying, and she couldn't understand how Naruto was able to endure their presence without going crazy. Sakura hugged her knees and pretended she was cold to mask a shudder.

"Well, if they want to help you they're doing an awful job of showing it," she said.

Naruto crunched into the last of the apple and spoke around the bite he had taken. "To get control I'm going to have to take it from them by myself — one at a time. Maybe they did agree to be sealed in me, but they aren't going to like it any better than Kurama did when I try to take their chakra. They can't help it."

Sakura tried to visualize what a fight like that would be like but couldn't. "Do you know what to do, Naruto?"

"Yeah, but—"

His hesitation made her nervous. "But what?"

"I couldn't take Kurama without Mom's help. If I don't want to use his chakra now that leaves me with my own and Sage Mode. If they all gang up on me—" His pearl-white shoulders rolled in a soft shrug. "I've been trying to get to know them — let them get used to me — but I don't know for sure how it's going."

* * *

><p>After what seemed like hours of excruciating silence, Sakura still didn't know how it was going. Or if anything was actually happening at all.<p>

Naruto had been sitting in the sand some distance away since their conversation ended. His posture maintained in a perfect lotus position, he had not moved a single muscle as far as she could tell – and she'd tested his concentration by carefully changing her clothes where she sat, stripping off the Kumo funeral dress and pulling on the black shirt and pants of her uniform. Nothing. Even when a silent shroud of brilliant white flames had momentarily outlined his body he hadn't so much as flinched. His eyes, closed in deep meditation, had been outlined with the orange of Sage Mode for some time, but the color had faded a while ago.

That's what she knew for sure. That and the fact that Naruto was going to push himself too hard. He always did. Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama had anticipated and planned for it. That's why she was there. Not that she could stop him when he was determined to train; she could only pick up the pieces and patch him back together when he went too far. In his own way he was as bad as Lee-san, and he'd made her promise she wouldn't interfere. No help, no conversation, no noise, no nothing.

At first she had entertained herself by sifting through the sand she could reach from where she sat on her bedroll. After separating out the pebbles and tiny shells she had organized them by size. Then, with the tip of her index finger she had spread some of the sand on the palm of her hand and studied the colors of the individual grains up close. It was darker and coarser than the sand Gaara-sama carried, probably washed down from some faraway mountain range over millions of years, only to end up inside a diving toad. The sand's journey was interesting to ponder, but it hadn't been able to hold her interest for long.

After that she'd tried leaning back against her pack and resting, staring at the ceiling for a while before closing her eyes and hoping the thudding sound of the toad's heartbeat would lull her to sleep. It was no use. Even if she could have relaxed she would've felt too guilty. It wasn't fair to think of sleeping while Naruto was fighting with tailed beasts for sake of the entire shinobi world.

_Naruto._

Watching him now for signs of steady breathing, Sakura realized that her impression last night – when she first saw him outside their rooms in Kumo – was correct. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, Naruto had become a man. His uncomplicated methods and view of the world made him seem younger than he was, and maybe it would always be that way. But as her medically-trained eye roamed over his physique, it was plain to see that his body had fully matured.

The structure of his face had changed. It was longer, the nose narrower and the lips fuller, and actually handsome now that it had lost the roundness of childhood. He had more developed upper body muscle than she remembered noticing the last time she saw him with his shirt off, and he had outgrown the rectangular-shaped torso characteristic of boys. His was more triangular now, with wider shoulders that tapered to slim hips and a tight, firm…

Sakura swallowed against a lump in her throat and a tingling heat swept through her body. She didn't need a mirror to verify the expression on her face. It was hunger. Was this how Naruto felt when he looked at her? All warm and fluttery and willing to be out of control? She desperately needed a distraction. Maybe a cold swim. But there was nothing she could do. She'd promised. No help, no conversation, no noise, no nothing. If she had known she would have so much idle time she would have planned ahead and borrowed a book from Sai before leaving camp.

She sighed. As if her exhale had fanned them back to life, the shroud of white flames appeared around Naruto again. This time it flared so bright and hot that she had to shield her face from it. Naruto cried out and then the intense light vanished. Sakura was immediately on her feet, trying to blink the spots from her vision as she ran toward him.

"Naruto!"

By the time she reached his side he was slumped over and unconscious. Like that day near the bridge, every inch of his skin was a dark and ugly red, and the lesions around the new seal had advanced from blisters to full thickness burns. She needed to get Naruto out of the sand and closer to her medical kit.

Marshalling her strength, Sakura carefully picked him up and carried him to his bedroll, easing him down until his chest and abdomen were level. She threw back the lid of the medical kit and grabbed a bottle of sterile alcohol. Disinfecting her hands first, she focused chakra into them and gently placed her fingertips on the spots of flesh that the seal had not burned through. She forced the healing energy directly into the open wounds, and after only a few seconds she began to sense what was happening. That as much as she was pushing her chakra, the seal was pulling it.

Sakura followed her energy signature with her mind as it sped along the various channels of Naruto's body, standard procedure when tuning it for any specific type of healing. Most of the chakra was absorbed by the coils in his skin and vital organs as she directed, but some climbed his spinal column and brain stem, and then emptied out into what Sakura assumed was the dark void left by Naruto's unconsciousness. She had never experienced anything like this before; under normal circumstances the minds of patients were not accessible to medical-nin. This had to be an effect of the seal.

Below her in the pitch blackness was a single square of light – like a room bathed in the warm glow of sunshine streaming through a window. As her thoughts ventured closer she could hear voices – angry voices – and once her mind had touched their edges the individual voices converged into a shattering roar. The tailed beasts were in that space beyond, in Naruto's subconscious, and they knew she was there. Frightened again by their overwhelming rage, Sakura backed her thoughts away and retreated from Naruto's mind, following her own chakra signature out of the darkness.

After another surge of healing energy, the agony etched on Naruto's face began to ease and he stirred. Sakura retrieved a large bandage, a small bowl, and a bottle of herbal liniment from her kit. She poured some of the liquid into the bowl and folded the bandage into a smaller square, letting it soak up the salve. Retuning her chakra to target pain receptors, she infused Naruto's system with what amounted to an opiate. If his body continued to experience pain while he healed, he wouldn't know it anymore.

As the pain killer took effect, Naruto tried to focus glassy eyes on her. Something resembling a frown shaped his mouth. "W-what happened," he rasped, as if his throat was as burned as the rest of his body. Sakura grabbed the canteen and held it to his lips, supporting his head while he drank. "I liked the dress better."

"Hush," she chided, although she indulged him with a small smile.

He settled back and closed his eyes. "I feel so…good…you're doing that…aren't you…?"

Sakura returned her attention to the crusting flesh on his stomach. In her initial panic over his condition she hadn't noticed, but another tomoe had appeared within the design. He must have won a fight. She took the liniment-soaked gauze from the bowl, unfolded it, and draped it over his wounds. Placing her hand on it, she used chakra to activate the salve and fix the dressing in place.

Naruto's fingers blindly fidgeted with the edge of the bandage. She tried to still them and his hand closed around hers. An image of the glowing room in the darkness of his subconscious flashed in her mind. He was dealing with so much. By himself. In that moment, as she gazed at the peaceful expression on his face, everything caught up with her and the depth of what she felt for him brought tears to her eyes. There was no one else like Naruto. There was simply…_no one else_.

Eyes still closed, when Naruto finally spoke again his voice had a far away, dreamlike quality. "If Sasuke could have been healed by you…if he could have spent time with you…like this…like I get to…he never would have left you, Sakura-chan…he couldn't have."

The tears welled and trailed down her cheeks. "None of that matters anymore, Naruto. I told you."

"It's okay…Sakura-chan." After a long pause he squeezed her hand. "I know you still love him."

Sakura nodded to herself in disappointed resignation, knowing Naruto didn't understand. She had wanted to talk to him about all of this – about her mistakes – and he was giving her the chance. But it would only matter if he still believed in her.

"You were right, Naruto," she said with a sniffle. "I was lying to myself about Sasuke. I thought I could choose not to care about him anymore — thought I could face up to killing him for his own sake. But I couldn't." She used the sleeve on her free arm to dry her tears. "You knew that about me and I didn't. I should have trusted you and…and I'm sorry."

Sakura waited for him to say something but he didn't. She looked down at their joined hands.

"Yes, I still love Sasuke," she said, nodding to herself again, "but not as much as you do, Naruto. It doesn't mean either one of us is _in love_ with him." A fresh tear slipped off her cheek and dotted the back of his wrist. "I meant what I said that day in the snow. Sasuke isn't standing between you and me. Not anymore."

Naruto drifted off to sleep then, still holding her hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Yes, I have finally updated. FINALLY! I've had other stories to write, and sincerely apologize for the lag. Unfortunately there is a finite number of hours in a day. :(

Thanks to **all of you** who have reviewed the story. Your comments and support mean a lot to me.

Many thanks to **Scarlett71177** for putting up with my hand-wringing and rewrites. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Sakura woke to a view of the cave's high, grey-green ceiling. The rhythmic drumming was still there, filling the space. It didn't echo off the smooth walls, exactly, more like it was a part of them – a reminder that they were being sheltered by a living being. The temperature in the cave seemed cooler than it had before, and the air held the faint but definite smell of the beach. Out of all the strange places she had awakened during her life as a shinobi, the stomach of a diving toad had to be the strangest.

How long had she been asleep? Without natural daylight or a clock she had no way of knowing, and gave herself a few moments to let that reality sink in. It went against her instincts to not know what day it was or how quickly time was passing in the outside world, and yet she could already see just how easily they were going to lose track here in this private wilderness.

Despite the comfort of the soft sand Sakura felt stiff and achy, and her right arm was completely numb. It was stretched awkwardly across her body, and as her drowsy gaze followed it she realized why. Naruto was lying on his back right next to her, his hand closed around hers.

Everything came crashing back to her then, full force. All the events and details of the last few days, his internal fight to get control of the tailed beasts, his fevered collapse, how her chakra had somehow been able to touch the glowing window of his subconscious when she'd treated his burns.

So much had happened so quickly, and it had all led up to those last few minutes when they had talked about Sasuke. When they had finally talked about what was going on between _them_ – at least a little before Naruto had fallen asleep. She looked at her numb hand again. He had taken hold of it and she'd never taken it back, hoping that maybe…

Did he really understand? Did he believe her when she'd said Sasuke wasn't standing between them anymore? Sakura's heart began to race as she replayed their whole conversation inside her head again. The last thing Naruto had said was, "I know you still love him." She'd gone on talking after that – trying to explain her feelings, trying to apologize – thinking he'd been awake. But maybe he hadn't.

The more she thought about it, the less certain she could be that he'd heard any of it, or that he would remember why she was holding his hand. A blush burned her cheeks as embarrassment and confusion set in. It was so stupid. Why should _she_ feel as if she'd been caught stealing?

_He started it_, she reminded herself. And even when it became physically uncomfortable for her she hadn't risked waking him from the rest he desperately needed. And she had only curled up next to him for the sake of _his_ comfort. And it _was_ her job to take care of him, after all. Any good medic would have done the same thing under the circumstances.

Sakura nodded at the ceiling as if the toad were listening in on her thoughts. If there was any kind of misunderstanding it was Naruto's fault. There was no reason to panic. He was still asleep and had no idea. He had no clue that in all their years as teammates, in all their missions together, this was the first time they had ever slept side by side… holding hands.

Keeping an eye on his face, she slowly shifted to her side to get blood flowing back into her arm again. If she was going to carefully get her hand free before he woke up she would need to feel it. She nearly hissed out loud as the sharp tingling sensation began to spread. At first she thought it was just the normal return of circulation, but when her hand began to feel uncomfortably hot she knew it was something else. Naruto was on fire again.

Alarmed, she sat up immediately. Naruto's placid expression twitched into a frown when she pulled her hand away to test his temperature and examine the bandage. Angry and red, inflammation had spread in every direction from beneath its edges. A scorched outline of the seal – with its concentric circles and two tomoe – could easily be seen on the gauze where it had burned through. The last treatment she'd given him to dull the pain seemed to be holding well enough, but it probably wouldn't last much longer.

Sakura quickly disinfected her hands and then refilled the bowl from her medical kit with herbal liniment, putting a fresh and much larger bandage in it to soak while she gently pried up the old one. Once she had it uncovered she could see the seal didn't look good, but it didn't look quite as bad as she had feared, either.

She leaned over to smell the weeping wounds that bordered the lines of the seal, the only reliable test for necrosis she could give his burned flesh in these rustic conditions. Naruto flinched when the ends of her hair trailed across his skin.

"That tickles," he said, his voice rough but quiet. He opened his glassy eyes and tried to lift his head to see what she was doing. "Are you kissing my belly, Sakura-chan?"

"Hush," she said, hiding her smile. "You're delirious."

"Am I?" A lazy grin curved one side of his mouth and he laid his head back down. "Huh. Maybe I am delicious."

"I said _delirious_, Naruto, not delicious." Sakura rolled her eyes for her own benefit. "And I was checking your burns for necrosis, if you really want to know. There's absolutely nothing delicious about that."

"What's a necrosis or whatever?" he mumbled. His eyes were closed again.

"Dead tissue."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "That's gross, Sakura-chan."

"Yes, it is." She pushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. "But fortunately you don't have any, and I think with a new, bigger bandage – and a few more hours of rest – as fast as you tend to heal the inflammation will be manageable."

"Then I can train again?"

"I think so."

It was a solid treatment plan, but there was one major problem. In order to get the bandage to cover all the inflammation properly it meant the front of his pants would have to be opened, and all indications were that he was still too drugged and uncoordinated to do it himself.

Another blush stung her face at the thought of even asking him, and yet she had to. At the hospital, incapacitated patients were routinely undressed by same-sex medics or sedated for private medical necessities like this. That way there was no humiliation. Patients didn't have to consciously endure their privacy being compromised, and sedation prevented the possibility of any kind of embarrassment for either party.

This was totally different. It was just her. It was Naruto and his private… pants. And things were already messed up and awkward enough between them without adding something like this. But there was no way she could do it without any warning or explanation. As uncomfortable as it was going to be to ask his permission, she had to believe it was better than his reaction would be later – if she sedated him first and then he woke up to find himself undressed. There was no getting around it.

Sakura took a shaky but determined breath and sat up as straight as she could. "Naruto," she began, using her best lecturing tone, "to do this right and prevent the spread of inflammation, I have to get at all the affected skin."

"Uh huh," he mumbled.

"Some of that skin is below your waistband."

"Okay."

He didn't get it yet. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and breathed again. "That means I will need to unbutton your pants."

It was safe to say he got the message that time because she could hear his loud swallow before he nodded.

Now that he had been appropriately warned she could sedate him, and she didn't waste any time. Thankfully he was not making any effort to watch or even look at her. Sakura concentrated for a moment and tuned her chakra, then flooded Naruto with a mixture of painkiller and sedative.

"Whoooooaaaa," he said, the word drifting from him like a dreamy, contented sigh. Two, maybe three seconds later he was out cold.

Ignoring her dry throat and the trembling of her fingers, she began by carefully unbuttoning the waistband of the black pants Omoi had given him to wear to Killer Bee's funeral. Once the front was loosened she worked them and his underwear down over his hips, far enough to ensure that all the inflammation was accessible but no farther. She tested the varying temperature of the burns by gently gliding her fingertips over the smooth skin of his lower abdomen, and the feeling of intimacy and connection it gave her brought unexpected tears to her eyes.

As she went on to perform her tasks, Sakura tried to label her emotions. Scared? Sometimes. Overwhelmed? Most of the time lately, it seemed. It was all so real. She and Naruto could no longer hide in the shadows of childhood. They were adults now, with adult problems and adult feelings and adult decisions to make. They were a team on the most important mission of their lives. And they were alone.

She spared a moment to glance at Naruto's peaceful expression. Did he ever feel scared? He was carrying the needs and hopes and dreams of the world's future on his shoulders, and yet without even blinking he had put his life in her hands. He was wounded, unconscious, and as close to naked as she had ever seen him. He was totally defenseless. So why was she the one feeling so exposed and vulnerable? Why was his absolute trust in her so unnerving?

Sakura chased all but medical thoughts from her mind for the time being and focused. Needing to save every precious drop, she carefully squeezed the excess liniment from the bandage she'd soaked, unfolded it, and gently laid it out over Naruto's enflamed skin. Digging in the medical kit for a pair of short-bladed scissors, she trimmed the frayed edge of the gauze and then tuned her chakra, activating the salve and fixing the new dressing in place.

The black shirt she'd pulled over his head earlier was laying nearby and she leaned over to pick it up, shaking out the loose sand before draping it strategically across his hips.

She tightened the lid on the liniment bottle and returned it and the rest of her equipment to the medical kit. Tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears, she allowed herself a longer look at Naruto's face. It wasn't normal for him to have this kind of difficulty healing. Then again, there wasn't anything normal about having eight separate tailed beasts hurriedly sealed inside your body in the middle of a battlefield by shinobi who, skilled and powerful as they may be, had never done it before.

The thought of all that howling, blistering rage Naruto was forced to endure sent a shiver through her spine. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, then sat back on her heels. He should remain sound sleep for the next several hours, she figured, and that was going to leave her with a lot of empty time on her hands again. She needed to find something to do this time besides stare at his mature physique and think. It needed to be something _constructive_.

After taking another quick inventory of their supplies Sakura was more concerned about their situation than she had been before. Considering the way Naruto's training had gone so far, his progress toward gaining full control of the tailed beasts could be very slow. He might need days of healing between each fight, and there was no reason to think the process would get any easier. The longer he went at it the weaker he was going to become, even when she could get him to rest enough.

"I wish I could do more for you," she whispered.

They were both going to need a lot of patience, and that virtue had never been Naruto's strong suit. He was going to suffer psychologically with all the down time, and that was just as big a threat to his success as his physical health. If days could possibly stretch into weeks they were going to need a reliable source of food, clean water, and entertainment – if she could find it – and the sooner the better.

Still dressed in the black shirt and pants of her allied forces uniform, Sakura pulled her pouch and tanto out from the pile of gear and strapped them on. Slinging both their canteens over her neck and shoulder, she knelt beside Naruto once more and covered his hand with hers. His temperature had already cooled somewhat.

"You have to promise you'll just lie there and rest," she whispered. He would be fine. Perfectly safe. She knew it was true, and yet it gnawed at her heart to leave him alone. Gently smoothing the back of her fingers against his whisker-marked cheek, she smiled. "I won't be gone long."

She made her way across the sand to the thin horizontal line of the diving toad's mouth. It hadn't occurred to her until that moment that she had no idea how to get out – no idea how to speak to her host, or if it would even do any good. She reached out and patted the smooth wall.

"I need to go outside," she said, looking up at the ceiling of the cave as if that would somehow make a difference. Nothing happened. After a moment a thought occurred to her. "It's for Naruto," she added, knowing his bond with the toads was very strong. "He needs food and water – and treatment for his burns."

The cave suddenly pitched and rolled, and Sakura knew from previous experience that meant the toad was in motion. Its movement seemed more rhythmic than the jarring escape from Kumo had been, and she guessed that it must be swimming to the surface. But to the surface of what? She would find out the answer to that question soon enough.

After a minute or so the interior of the cave seemed slightly brighter, as if daylight could somehow penetrate the toad's thick skin. The thin line of its mouth quivered and then slowly began to stretch upward. A stand of reeds appeared beyond. That close up they looked more like a forest of bamboo. With a final glance over her shoulder at Naruto's sleeping form, Sakura reached for a handful and hauled herself out.

Hunkering down low to remain concealed in the sedge, her sandaled feet slowly sunk into the soft bank that lined a large, clear lake. She turned back to the diving toad. It was mostly submerged again, only the top of its head and its eyes were above the waterline.

"Will you take care of Naruto while I'm out here?" The toad blinked. She wondered if it was coincidental, or if it might be signaling once for yes and twice for no, and decided to test it. "You won't let anyone but me in with him, will you?" she said.

The toad's large green eyes clicked twice.

She nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Will you know when I return to the lake? When I'm ready to go back in?"

One click.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the toad. "Thank you."

Its eyes blinked a final time and then it swam away from the lakeshore, sinking deep into the clear water. She kept her eye on it, and Naruto by proxy, until she could see nothing but her own reflection on the surface.

After a few minutes she stood slowly and tried to get her bearings. Wherever she was the weather was chilly, but at least it wasn't raining. A daylight sky with its thin, high clouds meant that she and Naruto had spent their first full night inside the toad.

The lake Boss had chosen to hide them in was big, perhaps a kilometer or more across from any side. The reeds lining the lake's edge thinned to a narrow, rocky beach that abruptly merged into a forest of tall trees, a forest that appeared to surround much of the lake. Sakura filled her lungs with fresh air. Without the constant pulse of the diving toad's heart in her ears, the outside world seemed strangely quiet. The wind in the trees, the distant calls of birds, and the water lapping at the lakeshore were the only sounds she could hear, and it put her on alert.

Wading out of the water, she broke into a run. Once under the darkened cover of the trees she slowed down and chose one of the tallest to climb. Springing from limb to limb with speed, it felt good to exercise her body and release some of the tension that had accumulated in recent days. As she neared the top the branches began to sway under her weight so she stopped to have a look.

From where she stood she had a 180-degree view of the landscape, but none of the landmarks were familiar to her. The mountains of Kumo – her last reference point – were nowhere in sight. She had no idea what land they were in, how far they had traveled, or how she could possibly figure it out. But it didn't matter. Like Naruto had said, it was the fairest way because no one knew where they were – including them.

Continuing to scan she noticed a break in the forest about two kilometers to the north. There was a village there. It might have an inn, and would have at least some access to food and medical supplies, but she would go there only as a last resort. Sakura knew it was best to lay low and avoid being seen by anyone until Naruto's training was complete. For all they knew Tobi and the Raikage – maybe even people from their own village – were out looking for them, and she had a feeling she and Naruto would definitely stand out as strangers in the area.

She was just about to duck back into the foliage and return to the ground when something else caught her eye. It was a small cabin nestled in a clearing, about three hundred meters east. In a split-second decision, Sakura chose to get a closer look. Skimming the branches of dozens of trees as she jumped through the forest, she landed silently on a thick bough overlooking the small homestead.

No light was coming from the windows. There was no smoke streaming from the chimney, either, and on a day as cold as this it seemed strange there would be no fire if anyone was at home. Sakura listened carefully and heard no sound of any kind inside. Jumping down from her perch she ran past a pair of gnarled apple trees and headed for the shadows, stealing along the cabin's weathered siding until she reached the nearest window. She cautiously angled her head to peer inside.

The interior was as grey as the outside and looked unloved, illuminated only by whatever daylight could filter in through the small, dirty squares of glass. There didn't seem to be anyone inside, but there were two rooms she couldn't see from where she was standing. Sakura pivoted and crept toward the back to look in the other windows.

The first, smaller room was the bath, with little more than a wash basin and an old-fashioned copper tub. The second was the bedroom. Sakura had been so sure the house was deserted that it was startling to see a human form lying on the bed. Immediately ducking out of sight, it took a few seconds to process what she had actually seen. She cautiously peered in the window once more, and after using her sleeve to clean the glass and pressing close to see past the reflective glare, her suspicion was confirmed. It was a corpse. No wonder there was no light from a lamp and no fire in the hearth; the person who had lived there had died there as well.

Breathing through the fabric of her sleeve as she stood before the remains now, there was certainly nothing Sakura could do. From the state of decomposition the person had been dead anywhere from two to six months, depending on what the weather had been like. There wasn't a lot of tissue remaining, mainly bone and some hair left behind to slowly sink into the horrible rotting mess the bed had become.

From the shape of the pelvis and its narrow sciatic notch, she could tell it had been a man – that plus the fact there was a stack of men's clothing neatly folded and stored on a grey plank that had been nailed to the wall. It made her sad to think the old man had died alone in that place, with no one to miss him or check on his wellbeing.

Sakura took a tour through the silent tomb of a cabin. A layer of dust covered everything with any sort of measurable surface. As she surveyed the shelves and open cupboards, she could see things in every room that she and Naruto could definitely use. Despite knowing the owner would not miss them, and no one else would ever know, it seemed wrong to just take everything and run. But it was the best possible solution to their immediate problems.

When she was done with her raid there were two cakes of soap, the wash basin, three dingy but serviceable towels, and a small bottle of liniment – which was more precious to her than if it had been liquid gold – packed into the bottom of the copper bath tub. The second layer of goods had come from the kitchen, and consisted of a large cooking pot, two bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, three tea cups, a few unmarked tins of food, a bag of rice, half a kilo of dried fish, a bottle of sake, a jar of pickled garlic, a jar of honey, tea, salt, every edible apple from the trees outside, and something that made her laugh out loud despite her somber mood: one ramen cup.

Finally, she'd found a spare blanket and pillow on a shelf far away from the death bed, and put them into the tub along with the old man's clean clothes, two sedge hats, a box of matches, a lamp and a half-empty bottle of kerosene, a deck of cards, and two books – one on local wild herbs, the other a novel. The last stop was to the well to fill their canteens and the heavy, blackened kettle she'd found hanging over the hearth.

"Naruto and I thank you, old man. Rest in peace," Sakura whispered. Without looking back she picked up the loaded tub and headed for the lakeshore.

The trip back seemed twice as long. She could handle the copper tub's weight with no problem, but it was too big and awkward to hold while running, and that had meant a slow walk. How long had she been gone? Of course it was impossible to tell. That was the one thing she regretted not finding in the lonely house. They still had no way to keep track of time.

The tub was definitely heavy, though. She could tell by how quickly and deeply her feet sank into the mud as she waited for the diving toad to appear. It made her uncomfortable to stand there in the open; it felt as if she were giving away their position. But the lag gave her time to realize a serious flaw with her otherwise clever idea: what was the point of a bath tub if clean water was a precious commodity?

She watched as the toad drifted to the surface of the lake, and a thought struck her. When its eyes rose above the water she had her carefully-phrased questions ready.

"Naruto needs to be able to bathe without leaving your protection," she said. "Can you store any water – I mean, without flooding the cave or hurting yourself?"

The toad hesitated only a few seconds before it blinked once. It inflated the flexible membrane of skin under its mouth.

"You can store water in there?"

One click.

"Can we access the water from inside?"

One click.

"Are you sure it won't endanger you or Naruto?"

Another single blink.

Sakura would never have imagined that a toad could make her so happy. Its mouth opened slowly, but in a different way than it had before. She could see the familiar horizontal line in the back of its throat, and as clear lake water began to rush in and fill the front pocket created by the inflated membrane, she understood that the horizontal line wasn't actually its mouth at all. It was just a seal that kept the cave dry and watertight.

The weight of the water in its throat forced the toad to paddle its webbed feet to stay afloat. Sakura stepped forward.

"Are you ready for me to get in?"

One click. The shape of toad's mouth changed again, closing off the reservoir and opening the seal so she could climb in.

"Thank you again – for helping us," she said, allowing herself and her armload of treasure to be swallowed.

Shirtless and scowling, Naruto was waiting nearby when she stepped inside. Sakura was surprised to see him up and immediately wondered what had awakened him first – a flare of pain, the toad's movement, or the sound of the water rushing. The cave pitched as the toad began its descent, and she walked only a short distance in the loose sand before setting down her heavy load. She was about to ask Naruto if he was feeling all right when he grabbed both her arms and turned her to face him.

"Where were you?" he said, his brow furrowed.

She was confused by his tone and manner. "What?"

"Where were you?" he repeated, shaking her slightly.

"Where do you think? I was out there!" She tipped her head in the direction of the toad's mouth. "I went to get food and clean water – supplies – you know, things we're going to need to survive!"

"How was I supposed to know that?" He shook her again.

Irked by his manhandling, Sakura felt her temper spike. "Oh, I don't know – did you try _thinking_? It's not like I could get lost somewhere in this cave, so I _must_ have gone outside. Where else could I have been, Naruto?" She lifted her chin angrily. "And silly me. Here I was, believing you trusted me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" If it were possible his brow had a deeper crease than before. "I trust you – you know I do."

Sakura could feel the heels of her sandals digging into the sand as Naruto began to pull her closer and closer, although he didn't seem to realize he was doing it.

"Naruto—"

"I woke up and you weren't here, Sakura-chan." There was something so serious in his voice now that she didn't struggle. "I didn't know if you'd been gone a couple of minutes… a couple of hours – it could've been a couple of days already for all I knew."

He paused for a moment, as if he expected her to interrupt, but she only stared quietly into his blazing blue eyes.

"I couldn't leave the diving toad without risking the mission," he went on, "but just sitting here was killing me. I was going crazy – not knowing if something happened to you – if maybe you ran into Tobi out there – if you were all right or if you needed me—"

The hold he had on her transformed into an awkward embrace, and now that she was in his arms she could feel his heart pounding. He did get scared sometimes.

Knowing perfectly well that she would be at least twice as angry and not half as sweet if it had been the other way around, Sakura slid her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Naruto," she whispered against his ear. "You're right. I shouldn't have worried you. I honestly thought I would be back before you woke up – I'm sorry."

He swallowed hard and nodded, but didn't let her go.

After a brief silence she smiled and whispered in his ear again. "I did bring back a lot of stuff we can use, though, and something special just for you."

Naruto finally released her and stepped back. Not brave enough to look him in the eye just yet, Sakura took a moment to lean over and examine his bandage. It was still white and dry, which was a good sign. She couldn't help but notice his pants were buttoned again, but she wasn't going to say a word about it. She straightened up then, and motioned toward the old copper tub.

"What is it?" he said.

She rapped her knuckles on the side and produced a muted clang. "It's a bath tub."

Naruto gave her a sheepish, sideways glance. "Are you trying to tell me I stink, Sakura-chan?"

She giggled, trying to lighten the mood. "No, but you will if you never take a bath. Here – help me carry it." Grabbing one handle, she pointed him toward the other.

Naruto groaned when he picked it up. "You carried this by yourself? How much does this thing weigh?"

"About a hundred kilos, I'm guessing." She shrugged as they trudged through the sand to their small camp. "It's the same principle as enhanced chakra strength, but instead of releasing it all at once I release it constantly. It's just chakra control – nothing fancy. Let's put it over there – on the other side of the traveling cloaks."

Once they had it settled she sat cross-legged in the sand. Grabbing his wrist, she tugged Naruto down beside her and they started sorting through everything together, stacking it next to the rest of their supplies and gear.

"You didn't steal all this stuff did you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto was examining the deck of cards.

"No, I – I borrowed it… from a man who didn't need it anymore," she said quietly, lining up the full canteens and the kettle, then retrieving a bottle of iodine from her medical kit.

"A man, huh? What man?"

Naruto had asked casually, as if he wanted her to think he wasn't really interested in the answer, but Sakura could feel his gaze on her as she placed a few drops of the brownish-yellow liquid in each container to purify the water.

"Just an old man, Naruto. He was dead… alone in his bed." She glanced at him then. "He must have died a few months ago."

"Oh."

His silence and thoughtful expression told her a lot. More than anyone else she knew, Naruto understood what it meant to be alone. He continued to look through the supplies. When he finally saw the ramen cup his teeth flashed in a silly grin and he cheered.

"I thought that might make you happy," she said with a laugh. "I suppose you want to eat that first? We'll need a fire to boil the water."

He held the ramen cup in the air like a prized trophy. "I am _really_ hungry," he said, licking his lips. "But I think… I think I want to save it – for after I've won against all the biju. Like a celebration."

"All right, but for now you do need to eat something." Sakura grabbed the rattiest of the three towels and the scissors from her medical kit. Making three small cuts along the long side, she ripped the towel into three smaller pieces. She took one and wet it with water from a canteen, and handed it to Naruto. "You know the drill," she said, smirking.

When he had dutifully wiped this hands and face as clean as he could get them, she set out an apple for each of them and gave him one of the last two onigiri with salmon while she took the other. As she watched him eat she began to feel guilty that maybe she had been starving him; he'd finished his rice ball and apple before she'd made it halfway through hers.

"There's more if you need it," she said, although a suspicion was growing that she knew what he was going to say.

"Later," he said. Naruto patted his bandage-covered stomach. "I'm going to train."

Yes, that was exactly what she thought he'd say. She chewed her last bite of rice slowly, as if that could somehow delay the inevitable. Naruto had already smoothed out his bedroll and was positioning himself in the lotus. By the way his jaw was set, and the way he had his eyes closed to avoid sparking a potential lecture, she understood there was nothing she could say to talk him out of it.

"You know the drill," he said, his mouth curving in a maddening smile. He was so proud of himself for using her own command as a reminder of his training requirements: no help, no conversation, no noise, no nothing.

Sakura guessed she had spent only ten, maybe fifteen minutes with her new herb book when the brilliant flash of white light came and Naruto dropped out of meditation. He was still conscious but pale. The outline of the seal had burned through his bandage again, and this time there was blood.

Tossing the book from her lap she scrambled to his side. He was looking down at the bloodstains as they soaked through the gauze.

"Lie down, please," she said, gently helping him ease back.

Naruto pounded his fists in frustration, making craters in the sand beneath his bedroll. "Damn it!"

"What happened?" She quickly set up to change his bandage once more.

"Two of them came after me this time. It was Saiken and Chomei." His whole body seized then and he squeezed his eyes shut. His breathing was shallow and ragged. "Kurama warned me what they were up to, and the rest of them… they just… flipped out."

She swabbed disinfectant on her hands and around the edge of the old dressing. "So they're doing this to punish you?"

"I don't know – I think they're all just mad at Kurama right now," he said.

Loosening the blood-soaked bandage, Sakura carefully peeled it from his tortured skin. The worst areas had advanced to full thickness burns again, and at the moment they were weeping wells of blood. It sure looked like punishment. Concentrating healing chakra in her fingertips, she was placing them as near to the seal as she could when Naruto reached up and grabbed her wrists.

"Don't knock me out." His voice held the same serious tone it had earlier, when she'd come back from outside.

"But—"

He raised his head so he could look her in the eye. "I mean it, Sakura-chan."

Obviously he wasn't ready to forget that she'd left without telling him. She returned his gaze without wavering. "I won't knock you out, Naruto. I promise."

He nodded and laid his head back, his hands dropping down to his sides. Sakura concentrated again, and the moment she released her chakra into his wounds she felt the irresistible pull of the seal once more. She followed her energy signature as always, but this time, as it raced through his system, it felt strange. The response from his chakra channels was different. Dynamic. It wasn't necessary to intentionally direct her energy; it was automatically going where it was most needed.

And just as it had before, the seal pulled her chakra along his central nervous system. But instead of a dark void, her chakra emptied out into a bright space that was warm and golden. She recognized the window of his subconscious below, could hear and feel the fury of the biju raging beyond it. Somehow, against everything she'd ever learned about medicine, her chakra was able to touch even Naruto's conscious mind through the seal.

Before he realized she was there – or the tailed beasts sensed her and decided to take it out on him – Sakura withdrew her chakra from the edge of Naruto's consciousness. After flooding him with several more controlled waves tuned for healing and moderate pain relief, she stopped the flow of her chakra and examined his wounds again. His flesh was still angry and red, but the lesions had closed up fairly well and appeared at least somewhat resistant to infection.

"I know it's probably pointless to say this," she said, swabbing the remaining blood from his skin, "but I think you're pushing yourself too hard right now."

Naruto's jaw was set again and he was staring at the ceiling. "I don't give up, Sakura-chan."

"I'm not saying _give up._" She squeezed the excess liniment from a new bandage and laid it on his skin. "I'm only saying—"

He shook his head. "They're not going to scare me off just because they think they can gang up on me."

Sakura retuned her chakra and fused the fresh bandage to his abdomen. "What if… what if there was a way that _we_ could gang up on _them_?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto tucked his left arm behind his head so he could easily see her face.

"I don't know – I'm not sure yet." It was too soon to say anything. She was still trying to process her discovery of the seal's effect, and how they might be able to use it to their advantage. "I need to think about it."

Naruto didn't say anything while she repacked her medical kit, but she knew from his expression that he was still frustrated by his failure. Tired of sitting on her heels, Sakura scooted over to her bedroll and stretched out. She filled her chest with beachy air and stared at the high ceiling too, wondering what time it was.

"I have to figure out a way to do this, Sakura-chan. I have to."

"You will," she said softly. "It's only been one day. You just need time… and rest… and _patience_."

His sigh told her he knew she was right, but he wouldn't admit it out loud and she smiled inwardly at his stubbornness.

"Want to play cards sometime?" he said finally.

She kept her gaze fixed on the ceiling. "Are you asking me for a date, Naruto?"

"Well—" He hesitated and she could hear him swallow. "I kind of just meant playing cards, but if you want I guess we could call it a date."

She felt Naruto's arm cross the seam where the edges of their bedrolls met. His hand was very close to hers, so close she could sense its warmth. After what seemed like forever his tentative fingers slid beneath hers, and Sakura didn't know anymore if the heart she could hear drumming in her ears was the toad's or her own.

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay, LOTS of details and hints here. Might be some red herrings, too. ;) What do you think so far? Any guesses on what's going to happen next?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long. I have some fairly significant health challenges that prevent me from writing as much or as often as I would like. But I love this story and have every intention of completing it.

When reading, please keep in mind that my plot veered away from the manga at chapter 568. That means some facts in the current chapters are not facts here.

Many thanks to **Scarlett71177** for patiently listening to my ideas and ramblings. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

His injuries and failure against the tailed beasts forgotten for the moment, Naruto was on his feet the instant Sakura had named her conditions for their date. The way he saw it, if they were going to wash the laundry, bathe, and cook a warm meal before they could play cards, he had way too much to do to be lying around.

Even when she begged him to rest longer, and offered to read the old man's novel to him out loud while he did, Naruto had beamed, insisting he was fine and didn't need the down time. This one, Sakura knew, was definitely on her.

She also knew better than to be too flattered by his enthusiasm. Naruto was always like this once a clear goal such as _work before play_ got into his head. He did seem happy and excited that she had agreed to call it a date, though, and if the swarm of squiggly butterflies in her stomach was any indication she was happy and excited too.

The first task she had assigned him was building the fire they would need to heat water and cook the food. Following a brief, chin-scratching survey of their small camp, Naruto had chosen a good spot some distance from the foot of their bedrolls and excavated a shallow pit in the sand.

Phase Two had them both out collecting as many large rocks as they could find on the cave floor to stack around the fire pit, and with a few well-timed suggestions from her Naruto used the flattest rocks in their collection to build a sort of hearth to make cooking easier.

The whole project was looking pretty good, at least until Sakura realized there was no place to hang the blackened kettle she had taken from the hook over the old man's fireplace. After a moment's thought, Naruto's eyes had brightened and he'd held up a grimy finger. He had jogged out to the wrecked boat and bent over the side, rummaged around for a few seconds, then jogged back with a metal fishing spear in his hand.

Meanwhile Sakura had used her bare fist to pound a smooth piece of driftwood into the sand on either side of the hearth, and wedged the point of a kunai into each of the tops. Naruto slipped the straight end of the spear into the finger hole of one kunai, and waited while Sakura scrambled for the kettle. She slid the handle onto the metal bar, and then Naruto set the spear's tip into the finger hole of the other kunai.

They stood side by side, grinning as they watched the kettle gently swing back and forth. It was suspended a perfect distance above where the flames would be.

"Yes!" they cheered simultaneously, sharing a loud, palm-smacking high five for their teamwork.

Naruto continued on, strategically stacking kindling and firewood into the pit while Sakura got started on the laundry. Neither felt a need to speak, and the muted beat of the toad's heart set a comforting rhythm to their chores.

Sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, Sakura had begun pulling dirty clothes from their packs when she noticed the cheerful smile had disappeared from Naruto's face. There was no reason to ask why; the distant expression in his downcast eyes told her he was thinking of Sasuke.

It had already crossed her mind too – when she'd first asked Naruto to make the fire – but she'd hoped that by some miracle he wouldn't think of it. She had hoped that maybe, just once, the past could stay in the past where it belonged. But it seemed that Sasuke was always with them, even when he was as distant as he could be in the ways that counted most, and old routines could be a powerful trigger.

Sakura stole another glance at Naruto as a stream of images from their shared history flickered in her memory. He might be strong and amazing now, but that wasn't the case when they first started out. Back in the early days of Team 7 he hadn't been very good at much of anything, including building fires.

And suddenly, like a movie reel, she could see it all with her mind's eye – how Sasuke used to make a point of saying they needed a fire and then smirk, knowing Naruto would fall for it and jump at the chance to prove himself. She could see Sasuke sitting back, confident and shrewd, letting Naruto do all the work. Letting Naruto run around collecting the firewood and building it up – only to fail at actually getting the fire started.

There was usually a reasonable explanation – damp wood, wet ground, no matches, too much wind – but that was never the point. Sasuke always let Naruto flounder for a while – at least until the ear-splitting shouts and excuses started – and then he would smirk again, as if Naruto were the dumbest guy in the world, and effortlessly breathe the flames to life.

It was Sasuke showing off, pure and simple, and looking back it seemed cruel that Kakashi-sensei never put a stop to it. Maybe he'd thought it built character. But it was the same dirty trick over and over, and it had happened more times than Sakura could count.

She heaved a heavy sigh. It had been unrealistic to hope Naruto might forget being treated that way; it was written all over his face that he hadn't forgotten a thing. His heart was too kind to hold a grudge, but even his forgiving nature couldn't erase the truth – that Sasuke had spent years making him feel second rate, and that part of her used to think it was cool.

The irony was bitter, and Sakura closed her eyes against the shuddering pain in her chest. _I'm sorry, Naruto…_

"Everything okay, Sakura-chan?" said Naruto, still preoccupied with his intricate pyramid of bleached firewood.

Banishing the ugly past from her thoughts, she replied, "I'm fine. Just feeling chilled."

"Well, you won't for long," he said.

Naruto held up his hand as a signal he was ready for matches. Sakura picked the box out of their collection of supplies and tossed it into the air, and he caught it without looking. Striking a single match and holding it to the splintered pieces of kindling, there was an initial billow of white smoke and then the fire quickly took hold.

He met her gaze from behind the smoky flames then, and they both smiled at the same time. Yes, they were doing perfectly fine on their own as a two-man team.

Once he was sure the fire would keep burning, Naruto left the fire pit and moved to stand near her, his hands on his hips. She was pleased to see that the bandage covering his stomach remained white and dry.

"What's next?"

"Getting water," she said. It didn't seem to bother Naruto in the slightest that she was sorting through his underwear. "We can use the wash basin like a bucket. Filling and dumping it into the tub a dozen times will be a lot easier than trying to fill the tub once."

"Hey, how'd you know about that?" He used the toe of his sandal to nudge her knee. "About the toad being able to hold water?"

"Oh, it told me," she said mysteriously, as if she and the diving toad had a long history of sharing secrets. Sakura paused to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It's very handy, you know – for a toad. And loyal."

"He _told_ you? But Gamakichi said diving toads can't talk."

"It didn't talk," she said.

"Huh?"

Sakura glanced up at Naruto then, finding his brow predictably furrowed in confusion. "It didn't actually _speak_ to me," she said.

He frowned. "Then how did you know he could—"

"Because I asked a question out loud and noticed the toad blinked its eyes. I thought maybe it was blinking once for yes and twice for no, so I devised a test to find out." She batted her eyelashes in dramatic illustration. "Then when I got back to the lakeshore with the bath tub I realized we'd need water. I asked the toad if it could store some and it said it could," she said, shrugging and returning her attention to her task.

"The diving toad's not an it, by the way," said Naruto. "He's a he – a him. Male."

His tone was so uncharacteristically studious that Sakura couldn't hide her smile. "How do _you_ know?" she said, fishing her hand around inside his pack one last time to make sure it was empty. Pushing both packs aside, she began to gather all their dirty clothes into a single pile. "It's a smart little thing so it's probably female."

"I _know_ because of his markings." Naruto folded his arms. "I've met a lot of toads on Mount Myoboku, Sakura-chan – and I did a big ecological survey on the Kumo island." Out of the corner of her eye she could see him nod confidently. "You'd be surprised how good I am at wild animal sex," he said.

Sakura's hand immediately flew to her mouth to smother an outburst of giggles. She had no idea what Naruto was talking about, or how he could possibly mean what he had just said, but he was so serious – so proud – so hopelessly cute about it that she didn't want to laugh at him.

She didn't even dare to look at him until she got control of herself. Instead she pretended to cough, as if she had accidentally inhaled a few grains of sand.

"Are you okay? Are you going to get those croaking hiccups again?" he said, sounding almost hopeful.

She stared up at him, still covering her grin. "No," she choked out, coughing one more time for good measure.

"Huh. You know, it's kind of funny. At first you said toads creeped you out," Naruto said with a skeptical smirk. "Then you started sounding like them. And now – now you think they're pretty cool and good to have around."

"So?"

He offered a hand to her and she accepted, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"So just admit it, Sakura-chan," he said, as momentum brought them together and he held her loosely with one arm. "You're starting to really like them."

Shaggy blond hair outlining his face, the look in his bright blue eyes was so warm. Almost mesmerizing. And in a moment as hazy and soft as a silk ribbon floating through her mind, Sakura realized Naruto wasn't really talking about toads at all. He was talking about the two of them.

It was as if he'd somehow read her thoughts from before – about how much they had both grown up, how much they had changed – and he understood what she was feeling. Somehow, he knew.

They stood motionless, smiling and staring.

"Water," said Naruto.

"Yes… I – I thought we'd use the uh… the um… iodine-treated water in the… that… in the pot," she said, altogether too distracted by the sensation of his hand at the small of her back to point the finger she had lifted from the curve of his shoulder. "And we should fill the uh… the kettle – with toad water – for our bath – I mean… heat it up for the bath."

Naruto seemed to be watching every small movement of her mouth as she spoke, and that in turn drew her attention to the smooth fullness of his lips when he echoed, "For the bath."

"Hhhnnng," she sighed as she nodded, only vaguely aware that it wasn't a real word.

All of her senses sparking and buzzing, Sakura obeyed her instincts. Her hands slowly glided over his warm skin, along his collar bones to meet behind his neck, and then she leaned against him. Naruto made a sound that wasn't a real word either, and when he tried once more to speak his voice was raspy and uneven.

"S-sakura-chan, I… I really want to—"

As his gaze drifted from her lips to her broad forehead, old insecurities broke the spell and swamped her. Self-doubt forced her to look away, and a second later Naruto's arm dropped from her waist like a lead weight. Her hands slipped off his shoulders when he took an uncertain step backward.

"Naruto—" she whispered. Feeling indescribably empty and afraid, she watched him reach for the wash basin.

"Water," he mumbled.

Sakura tried to hide her feelings and recover as they gathered a tub full of water and lugged it back to their camp. The silence between them was intense and painful, and in the same way he had after the tickling episode, as soon as he possibly could Naruto wandered off to collect more firewood while she finished filling the large kettle and hung it over the fire to boil.

Why did they keep getting so mixed up? One minute everything had been fine. They had been doing their chores and talking about toads. Then the next minute everything had become completely weird and blurry – like some kind of genjutsu that turned them into dizzy idiots who couldn't speak coherent sentences.

For a few seconds Sakura followed Naruto's progress as he walked along the outer edge of the cave, as far away from her as he could get in the confined space. Even from that distance she could read the pensive, moody expression on his face, and the squeezing in her chest came back with a vengeance. It was difficult to breathe.

At least there was a small mountain of laundry to keep her busy while her mind raced. Eying her options among the logs laying nearby, Sakura rolled a short, relatively flat-topped one to a convenient spot and stood it on end. Once it was firmly settled in the sand she set up her washing station and got to work, hoping the diversion would help calm her nerves.

No such luck. Instead, the more she thought about what had happened the more her temper flared. She began to take her frustration out on Naruto's helpless orange tracksuit, first drowning it in the small wash basin and then angrily scrubbing at the stains with a bar of soap.

_So just admit it_, he'd said. Admit what? What did he want her to say? That she believed in him? She had already said so. Was she supposed to admit he was more important to her than anyone else? She'd already said that, too. Admit she loved him? She'd said it. That Sasuke wasn't in the way anymore? Said it – twice. Admit she'd been wrong? That she was stupid and sorry? Said it, said it, said it.

The top half of the tracksuit was drowned again, turning the water in the basin a cloudy greyish white.

_All I hear is you straining to make excuses. I know you too well, Sakura-chan._

Sakura brushed her hair back with a wet forearm and growled under her breath. Excuses? Well, the blade of familiarity cut both ways and she wasn't fooled one bit. Naruto was straining to make excuses too.

He was the one who stood in the snow in front of their friends and still wouldn't admit his feelings – one way or the other.

He was the one who flirted shamelessly but never followed through on anything.

He was the one who didn't play fair.

Her cold-reddened hands seized the tracksuit and twisted the collar as if Naruto's neck were in it. Soapy water sloshed out of the basin then, soaking her feet, her pant legs, and splattering the sand in every direction. It was a small thing, a dumb thing, but right then it felt like the last straw.

Leaning against the smooth tree stump, Sakura fought the need for an all-out cry. As if all the other stupid, embarrassing things she had said and done before weren't enough…

She'd let herself get confused. Let herself get caught up in a moment that was probably never a real moment. She'd made a fool of herself, hanging on Naruto like a lovesick girl begging for her first kiss, and yet all he'd seemed to see was her forehead. That's what hurt.

The tears quickly pooled and spilled over, trailing down her cheeks as her narrow shoulders slumped.

_If you don't like me, then just say so!_

She was still waiting for his answer.

* * *

><p>By the time Naruto returned Sakura had pulled herself together, more or less. Of course there was no way of knowing how much time had passed, but it was long enough that she'd managed to get everything washed except for what they were currently wearing, and all the wet clothes were draped over the rope that was stretched between two of the kerosene torches.<p>

Naruto glanced at her as he dumped his double armload of firewood into the sand. Shivering, Sakura hugged herself with damp-sleeved arms and waited for him to finish stoking the fire before she spoke.

"If you're done there, I'd like it if you would take off your clothes," she said.

As soon as the poorly chosen words were out of her mouth she cringed inwardly. From where he knelt by the fire pit Naruto gaped at her. A stain of pink was slowly coloring his whisker-marked cheeks, but Sakura was sure it wasn't from the heat of the flames.

"You want to take off my pants again?" he said.

If there had been even the slightest hope they could get back to normal – whatever that even meant anymore – it was already ruined. Just that once, why couldn't he have understood what she meant?

Hands clenched into tight fists and mere seconds away from smashing something out of sheer frustration, Sakura put her back to him and pretended to survey their supplies again.

"Don't flatter yourself, Naruto," she said, casting a cold glance over her shoulder. "I need to _wash_ them."

She didn't know what made her say such things. What made her lash out and want to punish him. The rational and honest part of her brain knew it wasn't how she really felt. She knew it wasn't his fault that she was feeling so embarrassed and needy and tangled up inside.

Pulling one of the clean but dingy towels from the stack of spare linen she hesitated, gathering the courage to face him and apologize. She turned back, intending to make the towel into a peace offering, but Naruto had moved from the fire to stand right behind her. Caught by surprise, she nearly bumped into him.

"Sakura-chan—?"

He was studying her face in the same quiet way he had when they'd first seen each other outside his room in Kumo. And like that night, what he was looking for, or what he could see, she didn't know. On that occasion she had known how to react – it had felt right to hug him and say she was sorry. What was she supposed to do now?

Afraid she might cry again if she didn't, Sakura avoided the questioning concern in his eyes and focused on the towel in her hands instead.

"You can wrap yourself up in this," she said, trying to calm the unmistakable quiver in her voice. "Just until I've washed what you're wearing. Then I'll get out of the way and you can take your bath first. The water should be plenty hot by now."

As Naruto reached for the towel his fingers touched the back of her hand and lingered there, and her heart skipped a beat. He tipped his head to catch her eye, and this time she didn't look away.

She couldn't explain it to save her life, but there was something hidden in the brilliant smile he gave her. Some kind of special power. It was infectious. Contagious. It was totally unfair that he could make her feel happy when she didn't want to be – that he could so easily erase all the reasons she had to be hurt and upset with him. It wasn't fair. Nevertheless, against her will, against her instinct for self-preservation, Sakura felt her lips slowly curve into a smile.

"Once I'm clean what do I wear?" Naruto said casually, as if she chose what he wore every day. The touch of his fingers slid away as he took the towel from her.

"I thought – I thought some of the old man's clean clothes. None of yours will be dry until tomorrow. I'll set them out for you."

"And what are you going to wear?"

He waggled his eyebrows at her before he scanned the makeshift clothesline. His grin flipped to a frown right about the time he noticed the pieces of her black Kumo dress hanging there, dripping onto the sand.

"Same as you – some of the old man's clothes," she said.

Naruto scowled. "You mean you're going to wear some old dead guy's clothes on our date?"

"It's not really a date, Naruto," she said quietly, too confused about where they stood with each other to play the game anymore.

"It is too. You said so." He nodded smugly. "Besides, if you're not going to let me train then the least you can do is go on a date with me, Sakura-chan – and wear something pretty."

"I'll be wearing the same thing as you," she said, rolling her eyes. "That means we'll match – isn't that better?"

He slowly shook his head, the grin restored. Pointing toward the Kumo dress, he said, "No, _that_ would be better."

His gaze dropped to her chest then, letting her know in a very unsubtle way that he was remembering exactly what her breasts looked like in the revealing black mesh. He seemed pleased with himself for making her blush, but it was just more of his shameless flirting and she wasn't going to let him enjoy it at her expense.

Sakura deliberately folded her arms in an effort to block his perverted imagination. "Aren't you supposed to be taking a bath?" she said.

"Huh? Oh, right." Naruto swallowed loudly and blinked. He looked down toward his stomach and twisted the towel with his hands.

Anticipating his question she said, "You can't wear that bandage in the tub or you'll ruin it, so I'm going to remove it temporarily. I should have another look at your burns anyway." She took a step forward and dropped to her knees before him.

"Uh… d-do you have to?"

"Well, I don't have an endless amount of bandages, you know, and we need to be careful with our supplies." She leaned back slightly to look up at his face. "I won't knock you out, Naruto, if that's what you're worried about. I promised."

"I know. I get it." He sounded exasperated, as if her reminder of their situation had implied he was stupid.

"Then stand up straight, please," she said in a softer tone.

His hand that clutched the towel was in her way. Gently pushing it aside she tuned her chakra to release the bandage and then began at the top, carefully prying it from his skin.

"Sakura-chan—" Naruto's voice was reedy and his breathing was uneven. As she neared the waistband of his pants his free hand fidgeted and tugged at the edge of the bandage. Impatient, as always. "I – I can do this myself—"

"Hush. If you would just _hold still_ I'd have it done already," she chided.

Her fingers slipped down below his waistband to loosen the bottom edge of the bandage. Working quickly, she pulled the gauze free and carefully folded it in half, putting the clean sides together. Then she paused to examine the seal up close.

His flesh remained red and angry, and warmer to the touch than it should be, but the wounds that bordered the concentric circles and tomoe were closed and hadn't bled again. Taking hold of his hips to steady herself, Sakura closed her eyes and leaned in to smell the lesions – just to make sure. Naruto shuddered and swore under his breath.

"I'm sorry – I know this tickles," she murmured against his skin, "but you know I need to—"

She didn't get a chance to finish checking for necrosis before he abruptly backed up and walked some distance away. Only trained reflexes kept her from falling face forward into the sand.

Sakura was about to complain when he turned and she saw him in profile, and the reason for his odd behavior finally registered. Until that moment her personal experience was limited to textbooks, but there wasn't any doubt. Naruto had become aroused – _very_ aroused – and literally right under her nose.

Clapping a hand over her mouth in pure shock, the tingling blush that burned through her body was immediate and painful. She felt strange. Speechless.

This was why patients were sedated. If Naruto hadn't made her promise not to knock him out – if he hadn't assured her he preferred to be awake during his treatments – something like this could never have happened.

Although his back was turned, Naruto was the first to break the awkward silence.

"So do I have any of that… necro stuff?" The tone of his voice was falsely cheerful, as if he might be hoping she hadn't noticed his… problem.

"N-no, I – I don't think so," she said.

Sakura got to a shaky stand and brushed the sand from the knees of her black uniform pants. His preserved bandage was forgotten in her hand.

"Then I can take a bath now?" he said, wringing the towel nervously.

"I think – I think as long as the biju don't attack you while you're in the tub, you should be okay."

Without looking at her again Naruto nodded and walked to the fire. Using the towel for protection, he retrieved the hot kettle and disappeared behind the curtain of wet laundry.

* * *

><p>After setting Naruto's clean clothes and underwear discreetly beneath the clothesline, Sakura retrieved the kettle he'd left within reach and got to work cooking their meal.<p>

Using a bowl to measure the iodine water, she put enough in the kettle to cook rice and then hung it over the fire. She put another measure of water into the larger pot, and spent a few minutes cutting up pieces of dried fish with a kunai. Placing the strips of fish into the pot to soak, she took a few cloves of pickled garlic from the jar and crushed them in a separate bowl before she tossed them in with the fish.

The last ingredients she added from her meager pantry were a few drops of honey and two pinches of salt, using one of the old man's chopsticks to stir the mixture. It wouldn't be the best food they had ever eaten, but it would be warm and reasonably fresh, and a lot better than starving.

Waiting for the rice water to boil gave Sakura time to think. Now that the shock was wearing off she felt cold. Hugging her knees, she stared blankly at the warm flames and tried to figure out how she and Naruto were going to move forward.

It wasn't going to be easy. Their path – their relationship – was beginning to feel like an obstacle course with tricks, traps, and exploding tags around every corner. Was anything they felt… was anything between them actually what it seemed?

Sakura was determined to be rational and stick to the facts. Using the handle of the chopstick she made a tick mark in the sand. Fact one: Naruto never said he was in love with her. There was only Sai's word for it, and by his own admission Sai was clueless about feelings.

She made another tick mark. Fact two: Naruto could have kissed her earlier if he'd wanted to – when she practically threw herself at him – but he didn't. If he was in love with her, what was he waiting for?

Sakura flicked a small shell out of the way before she stabbed the next tick mark into the sand.

Fact three: sexual relationships between current teammates were strictly discouraged. She could still remember the academy lectures about the dangers of sex with your teammates, how it was too distracting and destabilizing and it "risked destroying the complex bond of confidence, trust, and reliance between two people who have trained together for most of their lives." Sometimes such relationships worked out – and there was always gossip floating around about couples who had done it – but not nearly as often as they failed.

_Never touch a man below the waist unless you are prepared to deal with the consequences._

Tsunade-sama's uncompromising voice echoed inside her head. The advice had been given in a medical context – in the form of the infamous patient privacy rule – but Sakura understood now, in a way she hadn't before, that there was a more obvious meaning. It actually applied more to lovers than patients. Tsunade-sama had been trying to warn her about the complications of sex.

Fact four: they were on a mission. The shinobi world was counting on Naruto, and he was counting on her. She was supposed to be a good medic. That was the reason she had been ordered to Naruto's side in the first place. She needed to stay focused on his health and morale, so he could stay focused on the mission.

Sakura sighed and made a final line. Fact five: despite all the other facts, it didn't change how she felt. It might have taken a long time to realize she loved Naruto, but now that she knew she only wanted to be close to him. She wanted to be at his side in every way.

It was dangerous, and she would die before she admitted it, but as she stared into the flames again Sakura let the wicked truth run free in her mind. Her fingers straying into his pants had set him off. Being on her knees in front of him, gripping his hips and leaning in to breathe his skin had turned him on. Knowing that, and seeing the hard evidence for herself, had done something similar to her. Something wild…

Suddenly she felt overheated and laid back in the sand, away from the fire's heat to stare at the high, grey-green ceiling. This time the toad's heartbeat couldn't match the pounding of her own. Slowly but steadily she cooled off, and once her senses had realigned she could hear the faint hiss of the water boiling in the kettle.

Sitting up, Sakura poured in a measure of rice and set the small lid on the kettle. She noticed that the handle was slightly bent so the lid didn't fit perfectly. Reaching for one of the strips of towel she'd made earlier, she folded it and set it beneath the lid.

"What's that do? I mean, what's it for?"

Naruto's voice was unexpectedly close. Unaware that he had finished bathing and was watching her, she shrugged self-consciously.

"The lid doesn't fit right and that will let the steam escape," she said, much more calmly than she felt. "Without steam, rice won't cook properly. The cloth helps keep the steam in the pot."

Naruto lowered himself to sit beside her, the scent of soap clinging to his skin and damp, unruly hair. He casually brushed the sand from the back of her shirt, and then raised his hand to softly dust it from her hair. She shivered involuntarily.

"You're so smart, Sakura-chan," he said with an easy smile. The shirt she'd set out for him was in his other hand. No doubt he was waiting to put it on after she reapplied his bandage.

She understood from his tone and manner that he was trying to act totally relaxed – to make things seem normal. He was trying too hard, and that could only mean one thing. He knew that she knew he'd been excited by the bandage incident – and it was best for both of them if they steered clear of that particular exploding tag.

"It's just a trick I learned by watching my mother," she said, smiling faintly.

They were both silent for a while before Naruto spoke again. "I never watched my mom cook rice, but I did learn a trick from her."

"You did?" Sakura stirred the softening fish with her chopstick. The garlic was beginning to smell wonderful thanks to the heat.

"She showed me how being loved makes you happy, and how being happy makes you strong," he said.

At first he didn't look at her, but then he turned and met her gaze. The blue of his eyes was warm again, and for a moment she felt dizzy.

"T-that's a trick?"

Naruto laughed. "Well, it kind of seemed like one to me."

"Is that when she – your mom – helped you take Kurama's chakra?"

"Yeah." He sighed and picked at a loose thread on the shirt laying across his lap. "But it wasn't like Mom was really there in my head. It was just that little bit of her chakra left in the seal."

Sakura shivered involuntarily again, but for a different reason this time.

"Naruto, remember how I said that maybe – maybe we could gang up on the biju?" She stirred the fish stew again.

"Yeah." His immediate interest forced him to sit up straight. "What did you mean?"

"Well," she began, still unsure of the facts, "when I heal you – through the seal – I've noticed that I can… I mean, I think that your body is adapting to my chakra signature."

"Whoooaaa," he said, a peculiar smile lighting his face. "Really?"

Sakura nodded. "The first time I directed my healing chakra like I would with any patient – controlling where I wanted it to go – where it needed to go. The second time… you did."

It didn't seem possible that his smile could get any wider but it did, and then it faded. "Huh. I guess I don't get it, Sakura-chan. How does that help us gang up on them?"

"Because… what happens when you're fighting with them? The intense fever and pain from the wounds around the seal breaks your concentration, and you have to drop out of meditation, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what if I… I don't know," she smiled at him anxiously, "what if I meditated with you and kept my healing chakra in the seal? I could control your fever and pain, while you fight the biju."

"You are _so smart_," he said again. He rubbed at his chin for a second, lost in thought. "I've never tried to meditate with someone else."

"Do you think it could work?"

Naruto grinned broadly, and sitting that much closer to him she could smell toothpaste on his breath.

"I bet if I can do it with anyone it's you, Sakura-chan." Almost bouncing with excitement he took hold of her hand. "Come on, let's try it!"

"Now? No." She shook her head but didn't pull her hand away.

"Why not?"

"Well, let's see." She pretended it was a struggle to remember. "Because… you're supposed to be resting. Because the rice is almost done and we need to eat this fish stew while it's hot," she said, using her chin to point at the pot, "and last but not least, while _you_ may be all nice and clean and sweet-smelling, I haven't had the luxury of taking a bath yet."

"But you're always sweet-smelling, Sakura-chan."

It was such a cheesy effort to charm her into doing what he wanted that Sakura couldn't stop herself from giggling. "And you are a liar, Naruto."

Getting the rice done and pulling the stew pot from the fire was all she managed to accomplish before he wore her down and she agreed to try the meditation – just to shut him up.

They sat face to face, both in the lotus position. The best he could, Naruto explained the principles of Sage meditation so she would know what to expect. The most important thing, as she would have guessed, was that she hold her body as still as possible so she didn't interrupt his concentration. Otherwise his rule was in force: no conversation, no noise, no nothing.

At first they tried it with her leaning forward, her chakra-charged fingers as near the seal on his abdomen as she could get them. But despite her efforts and superior chakra control, she couldn't hold the position for long without making small compensations in her posture that he found distracting.

They tried again and again but it wasn't working. Not surprising, she grew frustrated more quickly than Mr. Never Give Up. Taking a momentary break to stretch, Sakura handed him a canteen with an order to hydrate.

"You said my body knows what to do with your chakra, right?" he said, taking a large swallow of water.

"That's how it felt to me, yes."

"Then you don't really need to lean over and force your chakra into the seal – I can do it."

While she considered his suggestion, Naruto put the stopper in the canteen and buried its base in the sand near his hip. He positioned his elbows on his knees and then raised his hands.

"Let's try it this way," he said, his eyes already closed as he waited for her to match his pose.

Sakura tightened her lotus and scooted as close to him as she could get. Their knees and shins were pressed together, as were the palms of their hands. Naruto was right; this was going to make it much easier for her to control her posture.

In a matter of minutes Sakura felt the familiar pull of the seal, and she could already tell it was going to be different than any other healing she had ever performed. Although her mind still followed her signature as it traveled along the channels, the coils in Naruto's body were assisting her technique as they had before, dynamically drawing the healing chakra from her on their own.

It couldn't have been more than a few hours since she had last treated his burns and fever, so his tissues and organs had not deteriorated much under the constant presence of the unrestrained biju. Because Naruto was more or less controlling his treatment, there was no specific urgency on her part to concentrate on healing. That gave her the rare opportunity to fully experience the sensations of their blended energy – to better understand how it worked.

Her awareness – of her own body, of Naruto's, even that of the toad hosting them – was significantly heightened. There was a strong and steady current everywhere, as if everything around them was charged with electricity. It wasn't flowing through her, exactly; it was flowing through Naruto, and she could feel it within the coils of his system, speeding alongside her own chakra. Sakura assumed it was an effect of Sage meditation, but she didn't dare open her eyes to see if Naruto's were marked with orange.

She felt warm. Strong. Fearless. And as she settled in, and became more used to the strange and prolonged connection to Naruto, Sakura could hear them. Somehow, the swirling knot of tailed beast chakra felt more controlled than the other times she had sensed it. More confined. It was focused entirely on Naruto. Because he was with them, engaging them directly in his mind, the blistering anger of the biju wasn't raging unanswered in his flesh.

Trying to imagine what Naruto was saying to them – what they looked like – what it was like to face them and fight them – Sakura's curiosity grew. She urged her chakra along the core of Naruto's central nervous system, and then climbed his spinal column. In a span of time too brief to measure, her energy had reached the bright, golden space of his conscious mind.

The temptation to join him – to enter Naruto's subconscious – was very strong. But she felt like an intruder. It seemed to her that if he had needed her there, or had wanted her there, he would have directed her chakra himself.

The raging grew louder, and mixed in with the roars was Naruto's voice. He was shouting, at times yelping in pain. Sakura concentrated, sifting through the noise and surging power for Naruto's chakra signature, and realized that with every sound he made there was a corresponding drain on her healing energy. Like a tiny leak. He was in trouble.

Unwilling to hesitate any longer, she pushed her thoughts through the window to his inner mind and was immediately disconnected from her actual body. Although she understood that she was still sitting in the cave meditating with Naruto, she could no longer sense it. Nevertheless, she retained physical form, and that was her first clue that the rules were different here.

Dressed in her usual red top, black shorts, pink apron skirt and boots, she was standing at the shadowy edge of a huge, dimly lit circle with what felt like solid ground under her feet. Her hands were gloved, pink guards covered her elbows, and her Leaf forehead protector was there – tied like a headband the way she always wore it. Since she had not chosen this appearance, it must have been Naruto. This was the way he thought of her.

The sound was deafening, and the scene before her was like nothing Sakura could have imagined. Positioned similar to numbers on a clock, the biju formed a circle facing each other. They were like monstrous skyscrapers – forty times the height of a human if they were a meter – and Naruto, looking small and outnumbered in his orange tracksuit, was on his hands and knees in the center.

Tightening the fit of her gloves as she ran, Sakura headed straight for the circle. As she skidded to a stop beside Naruto, the roaring dulled and sputtered into side conversations and mumblings. The tailed beasts seemed surprised by her presence. All but one. The Nine Tails, who occupied the top spot in their grotesque clock, began to laugh.

"So… it _is_ her," said Kurama, peering out from behind the bars that caged him. His huge teeth were revealed by a sinister smile. "Hmm… it's just as I thought."

"Sakura-chan – what are you doing here?" said Naruto, wearily sitting back on his heels.

"I'm not really sure," she said. "I could hear you in here and I thought – I thought maybe you could use a little help."

She offered him a gloved hand and pulled him to his feet. Rewarded with a brief but dazzling smile, they automatically moved to stand back to back and began to turn in a slow circle as Sakura got her first chance to evaluate their opponents.

In addition to Kurama, the tailed beast at the two o'clock position was also restrained and confined behind bars. It was a huge blue cat that seemed to be made of flames. It didn't speak to her, but when she met its odd gaze – one gold eye and one green – it nodded formally. There was a blank space between Kurama and the blue cat, and Sakura assumed it was the place reserved for the One Tail that was still missing.

The others, in order, were a turtle with a crab-like shell and three shrimp tails; a gigantic gorilla with yellow eyes and red fur; and a white horse with a dolphin's head spiked with five horns of various lengths. Due to her familiarity with Katsuyu, Sakura paused to take a closer look at the immense six-tailed slug that was next in line. It was blue-white, with two feet and two stumpy arms, and appeared to be covered with an unusual hissing slime.

The last two were what looked like a blue-armored rhinoceros beetle, and a half-ox, half-octopus with eight enormous tentacles. She knew that Killer Bee had been the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails, and the words were tumbling out before she stopped to think.

"Naruto told me about Bee," she said, bowing slightly. "I'm very sorry." The beast nodded its massive ox-like head but didn't speak.

Without missing a beat, Naruto leveled his gaze at the giant beetle. "Chomei, you and your slug buddy there – Saiken – ganged up on me before, but it looks like this fight might be a little more even."

To Sakura's astonishment a loud argument instantly broke out between the slug and the beetle. It seemed that neither wanted to be considered the other's "buddy." She had to wonder if Naruto had chosen to say it that way on purpose.

His hands on his hips, Naruto raised his voice and shouted over their squabbling. "Well, what's it going to be?"

The beetle, Chomei, shuffled forward. Six of its tails were fanned out like green insect wings, while the seventh trailed along the ground like a long whip. Its movements were odd, both fluid and disjointed at the same time, and unlike anything Sakura had ever seen before.

"Two for the price of one?" it said in a happy, almost sing-song voice. "It's my lucky day."

Upon those words Naruto nodded to accept the challenge and proceeded to fill the space behind them with clones to cover their flank. From the sound of it the beetle intended to fight for itself, by itself, but it was always best to expect the unexpected.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do. The reality was she was out of her league against tailed beasts. She had no experience with them beyond having witnessed Naruto in partial transformation. But she had no fear. Her body was safe in the toad cave, and her chakra was safe within Naruto. She was willing to help him however she could.

More of his clones appeared, casting her asea in an ocean of blond hair. The noise level was thunderous again as the other tailed beasts became interested in the building fight. They acted like spectators at the Chuunin Exams, watching and commenting and cheering from the stands.

Naruto's clones were forming Rasengan all around her, and in a synchronized maneuver they rushed toward Chomei. A few of the blows landed, but the beetle dodged the rest by beating all six of its wing-tails and levitating just high enough to get beyond their reach. Another staged assault turned out the same, resulting in Chomei's sickeningly cheerful laughter.

But during that second attempt Sakura noticed that Chomei's seventh tail never left the ground. That was the key. She turned around and quickly worked her way through the flanking clones. As if they could read her mind, some of them shielded her from view as best they could while the rest mounted a third campaign.

As she dashed from cover to get in position behind their opponent, one of her escort clones accidentally brushed against the six-tailed slug and dispersed in a cloud of noxious gas. The blond sea surged toward Chomei, who was already laughing at the futility of such a predictable attack. The beetle fanned its wings once more, obviously planning to evade the blows by flying out of range.

Sakura flexed the muscles in her arm, and with a subtle nod to Naruto's clones she slammed her fist against the beetle's tail and pinned it to the ground. Like a hideously ugly kite reaching the end of its tether, the Seven Tails was abruptly jolted in mid-air. The other beasts howled with laughter.

Chomei twisted its enormous armored head around to confront the source of its humiliation. Glowing orange eyes were fixed on hers, and all six of its blue legs – armor-plated appendages with sharp tips – slashed at her. Sakura easily evaded the thrashing limbs and retreated quickly, rejoining Naruto as his clones moved forward.

Taking full benefit of the diversion she had provided, many more Rasengan hit their mark this time and the giant insect sagged under the power of the attack. About half of the clones suddenly dispersed, but those that remained began to rearm. Sakura could feel the tension in Naruto and sense his intention. With Chomei on the defensive, this was his best shot.

She felt a sharp increase of power coursing through Naruto's body. All the copies of him she could see now bore the orange markings of Sage Mode, and each glowing mass of chakra they held had exploded in size.

"Still think it's your lucky day?" Naruto yelled to the struggling beast, and he and his clones advanced on the beetle a final time.

Not willing to give up easily, Chomei boomed a hissing howl and somehow seemed to double its body mass. The other biju were all roaring advice – some to Chomei, some to Naruto. But to Sakura's mind, if this assault was going to work she needed to provide another timely distraction.

It had to be something new. An ancient force like a tailed beast would never fall for the same simple trick twice. Instead of attacking from below, this time she would attack from above.

In a split second Sakura had made her decision. Edging her way near the front of the crowd, she whispered her simple instructions to two of Naruto's clones that were standing by.

"Give me a boost," she said.

They nodded, joined hands, and leaned down. Allowing herself some room for momentum, Sakura ran at them and planted one booted foot on the step they had formed with their hands. Their combined strength sent her soaring high into the air, and as she tumbled and spun she caught the eye of the real Naruto. That was all it took to agree on their plan.

The clones rushed forward in waves. As expected, Chomei attempted to escape through flight, but its eyes were heavily shielded by armor and that severely limited its field of vision. It had lost sight of her.

Reaching maximum height Sakura began a graceful but strategic fall, and as she sped downward toward her target she flipped into position. Streamlining her body like a missile, she aimed right for the top of the beetle's head.

She could see the impact waves as Naruto's Sage-enhanced Rasengan hit their mark below. Chomei thrashed and flailed, and in a desperate rush of wing-tails it began to lift off the ground. Focusing all the strength she had into her arm, Sakura's fist made contact with the beetle's armored skull. The force of the blow she delivered dropped the beast flat on its abdomen, and before it knew what had hit it – literally – Naruto's clones closed in.

While some pummeled Chomei with the last of the Rasengan, others began to pull at the threads of chakra that had begun to separate from its body. The beetle roared its displeasure again and tipped its head back. A dark sphere was forming in the back of its throat, but a clone stepped forward and released the final blow.

Sakura landed on the ground near enough to see Naruto's chakra envelope the beast's head and finally sever its hold on its chakra.

The real Naruto was some distance away, systematically dispersing the clones and gathering all the chakra threads into his body. The moment he had completely absorbed Chomei's chakra there was a spark of light, and Sakura could feel Naruto's energy signature change. It was as if an invisible dial had been turned up and the core of his being was vibrating with pure electricity.

Restraints dropped from the darkness above, some pinning Chomei in position while others formed a cage around its subdued body. A swirl of chakra became a lock at the front, and when it darkened into the shape of a tomoe Sakura was sure there would now be a corresponding third tomoe within the seal on Naruto's abdomen.

Naruto ran toward her then, his fist punching the air and his smile a bright flash of teeth. Expecting another high five, in the space of a heartbeat his arms had slipped around her waist instead and he lifted her off the ground. Sakura giggled happily as they twirled in a dizzying circle of victory.

Once her feet finally touched down again she felt dangerously lightheaded, but didn't want to spoil the moment of Naruto's success with a complaint. Instead she clasped her hands behind his neck and eased against him slightly, letting his strong arms help hold her steady.

"Now this – _this_ is what I call a date," he said.

His eyes were warm and mesmerizing again, just as they had been before. But this time, without any stuttering or hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her.

It wasn't a quick little kiss. It wasn't a shy one, either. It was soft and insistent, a kiss that held the heat of the sun. The honest warmth radiated through her, filling her up… melting her fears and confusion. Here, where the rules were different, Naruto was free to show her how he felt. He was free to make her believe that in his mind, at least, she was the most beautiful and amazing girl in the world.

Sakura tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him back, making her head spin even more. She didn't want it to end, but their private moment was invaded by a sly voice that rumbled above the conversations of the other tailed beasts.

"It's about time, Naruto," Kurama snickered. "But it's not the best time."

Naruto reluctantly released his gentle hold on her lips. "Huh? What's wrong with now?"

"Idiot, can't you feel it?" Kurama hissed impatiently. "Her chakra is fading. You have nearly drained her."

Sakura's knees buckled then and she collapsed in Naruto's arms. His panicked shouts drifted away until they became a distant ringing, only to grow louder and louder again. When she fought to open her heavy-lidded eyes once more they were back in the cave, still sitting lotus to lotus and palm against palm.

"Sakura-chan, are you all right? _Sakura-chan_—"

Naruto's rough voice was tight, his blue eyes wide and desperate with fear. She wanted so much to calm him, to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but she didn't have enough strength left to speak.

Sakura's senses blurred and began a slow, streaking fade to black. As if by his own strength he could somehow stop her from slipping away, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled, twisting her into his lap before she hit the sand.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** When reading, please keep in mind that my plot veered away from the manga at chapter 568. That means some facts in the current chapters are not facts here.

Many thanks to **scarlett71177** for patiently listening to my ideas and ramblings. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"Naruto will succeed."

After sitting quietly through most of the spirited debate that filled his own council room, Gaara had spoken suddenly and brought the conversation skidding to a halt. He now held the attention of every Kage and their attending advisors.

"How can you be so certain?" said the Tsuchikage, as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Naruto is a genin – and one who has never been tested by a mission of this magnitude!"

The intense desert heat of Suna preyed upon the patience of those who were not accustomed to it, but for those who were it was a useful tool – a tool that often exposed doubt and weakness. Gaara had chosen to convene the alliance strategy meeting during the hottest part of the day for that very reason. He wanted to know if Naruto was fighting against the doubts of those who should support him on top of everything else.

This was the first opportunity for the Kage and their advisors to meet since the field decision had been made to seal all the biju – with the exception of Shukaku – into Naruto, and it was critical that the alliance remained committed to the same path going forward.

Gaara's hands were folded before him now, a testimony to his own inner calm.

"I am certain because Naruto believes in protecting everything that is at stake in this war. We are all aware of the risk he has willingly undertaken," Gaara said, staring at the reflection of his guests' faces on the polished surface of the table. "I am certain because Naruto understands, as only he and I can, what it means to be – to live and _survive_ – as a jinchuriki."

The Raikage growled. Killer Bee's death remained fresh in the minds of all who knew him, and equally fresh in the minds of all who feared Naruto might meet the same fate. Gaara had expected the Kumo leader would be sensitive to the truth – the truth that the Sand and the Leaf were the only villages with experienced jinchuriki left alive – but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the Raikage's irritation than personal loss.

Gaara ignored A's reaction and instead met the eye of the Tsuchikage. "I am certain because I know Naruto. He has the purest heart among all shinobi, and he is my friend. I trust him – with my life and the lives of my people – because I know he will never stop until he succeeds. I have said these words before."

"And well spoken, Kazekage," the Mizukage purred.

Although Mei was seated at his immediate left, Gaara did not acknowledge her remark – nor did he react to the curt nod of agreement he received from the Hokage.

"Mmm, yes. Your words are a soft and beautiful sentiment, Kazekage." The Raikage's rumbling sarcasm echoed off the adobe walls. "But they are just that – soft sentiment. You offer no fallback plan – no means for the alliance to recover – no means to regain the biju if Naruto fails to control them – or to revive them if he dies."

Kankuro, who stood just behind Gaara's chair, huffed in annoyance at the Raikage's attitude. It was a subtle comment on the proceedings, one Kankuro meant only for his brother's ear, but Gaara assumed it was shared by others in the room.

His suspicion was confirmed when the Hokage shifted in her chair and leaned forward, the blonde hair that framed her face swaying as she leaned over the table.

"If I didn't know better, Raikage, I would think you _want_ Naruto to fail," said Tsunade.

Gaara sensed the tension in the room had practically doubled as a result of that statement. He was still learning the finer shades of politics and diplomacy, and often held his own opinion in reserve out of respect for other leaders with more experience, but he privately admired the Hokage's thinly veiled accusation. Compared to his participation on the battlefield – when he approved of the plan and assisted with sealing the biju into Naruto – the Raikage now seemed especially fixated on the risks and potential failure of the mission.

"Have you forgotten, Hokage, that I agreed to this plan?" said A, his white-blond eyebrows at steep angles. He closed his immense hand into a fist and pounded the table. "That I was there when the Eight Tails was extracted from the warm body of my brother? That all of Kumo stood with me as I placed my trust in _your_ jinchuriki?"

Tsunade stared at the Raikage without flinching.

"_Your_ genin," he went on, tipping his head slightly toward the Tsuchikage in implied agreement with his concerns, "who, along with _your_ apprentice, left Kumogakure without my—" The hesitation in his speech was sudden and unnatural.

"Without your _what_?" said Tsunade.

Gaara could see the light of suspicion in the Hokage's eyes. She realized just as he did that the Raikage had come perilously close to revealing something – some fact he was guarding. There was a sheen of sweat on A's forehead, the sweltering temperature taking its toll on his body and composure.

He pounded the table again with greater force, his voice booming. "_Without my permission_! I gave Naruto the hospitality of my village – gave him a place of honor at my brother's funeral – and he repaid that generosity by disappearing with _your_ apprentice – taking the biju and the greatest hope of the alliance with them. They are stupid kids who don't know their place!"

"Naruto and Sakura know their place, Raikage!" shouted Tsunade. The purple chakra point on her furrowed brow had begun to look more like a button she was taunting him to push. "If they did not wait for your orders there _must_ have been a reason."

Gaara glanced across the room at Baki, a trusted member of his staff who stood just inside the door. Baki acknowledged him with a subtle nod, an indication that he and a team of posted guards were prepared to intervene at Gaara's signal. While the Raikage might be the leader of the allied forces, and the Hokage might have considerable wisdom and experience, this was Suna. Gaara would not tolerate a brawl in his own council room.

"You expect us to believe you don't know where Naruto is now?" The Raikage leaned forward then, and the chair in which he sat creaked under his considerable bulk. "Tell us, Tsunade, what secret orders did you send with that girl?"

A lazy voice cut into the conversation. "Tsunade-sama did not give Sakura her orders." A Kage-level shinobi in his own right, Kakashi was sitting back in his chair with his hands in his pockets, as cool and collected as if he had lived in the desert his entire life. "I did."

The Raikage craned his bull-like neck in Kakashi's direction and narrowed his eyes. "I am the supreme leader of this alliance! Do not think the Leaf can sidestep my authority with a clever technicality, Hatake Kakashi," he ground out. "I demand to know what orders the girl was given – what orders were relayed to Naruto."

"I gave Sakura no orders for Naruto," said Kakashi, easily meeting A's angry gaze with his uncovered eye. "She was instructed to travel to Kumogakure with the shinobi of your village – Bee's subordinates – to join Naruto and serve as the medical-nin on his new mission."

"You mean to say, then, that Naruto left Kumogakure under no one's orders but his own?" growled the Raikage.

Kakashi sat up and straightened his frame, although he maintained what Gaara interpreted as a deceptively casual demeanor. "No, Raikage-sama, I mean—"

"He means that to _our_ knowledge," Tsunade interrupted, her voice gruff, "the last orders Naruto received – from the _unified_ leadership of the alliance – was to travel to Kumo under _your_ protection, Raikage, and in all circumstances he was to act first to preserve himself as jinchuriki – as you, I, and the Kazekage agreed. You were there, A. You heard the orders I gave Naruto for yourself."

"That is what we agreed," said Gaara, nodding slowly. Unfolding his hands for a moment, he gestured toward Mei and Onoki. "I would understand if the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage – the two members of this alliance who did not have a voice in our battlefield decision – were the ones strongly questioning Naruto's disappearance, Raikage, but not you – the one among us who was the last to see him."

"The better question, it seems, is what might have happened in Kumogakure to prompt Naruto to leave… without your permission?" said Mei.

"I must agree," said Onoki.

An uncomfortable silence fell as the Kage and their advisors waited for A to respond to the Mizukage's question. Despite the gentleness of her carefully chosen words they held a definite sting. If Naruto was under orders to protect himself, the biju, and his mission at all costs, what had driven him from Kumo so suddenly and without taking the Raikage into his confidence?

"Nothing happened," A growled, but he said nothing more. No details on Naruto's disappearance, and no speculations.

With the Raikage and the Hokage at a fuming standoff, Gaara understood the need to steer the discussion toward safer ground. He refolded his hands and once again sought the relative safety of his guests' reflections on the table.

"A jinchuriki is profoundly influenced by the biju he or she hosts," Gaara began, not entirely comfortable speaking of such a personal experience. "It is a symbiotic relationship – a strange and rarely balanced give and take between human and beast." He paused to take a deep, steady breath. "Naruto has been one with the Nine Tails his entire life. However, he and the Kyubi are no longer alone. We cannot overlook the possibility that Naruto's actions – his unpredictability – may have been due to stress – due to the influence of the unprecedented power and clash of personalities he now contains."

"You do not fill me with confidence, Kazekage," said the Tsuchikage. "What if he cannot endure this stress alone?"

"He is not alone. Wherever he is, Sakura is with him," said Tsunade. "She also understands what is at stake. She will not leave his side, and there is no one who knows Naruto better – or who can handle him better – than Sakura."

Upon those words Shikamaru, who stood next to his father behind the Hokage's chair, shifted his weight from one foot to the other before he met Gaara's eye and smirked. It was a small thing, an almost imperceptible change, but it was important. What it meant, Gaara did not know.

"More useless sentiment that changes nothing." The Raikage folded his huge arms in disgust. "There is still the matter of Uchiha Madara and this… Tobi. There is still the fact that Naruto's heart bleeds for the criminal Sasuke," he sneered. "There is still the fact that we have formed no strategy – that we are risking the future of the free world on an insubordinate genin and a medic."

"We know the enemy is regrouping, waiting for the biju to reappear. Even if Naruto accomplishes his mission, there is a significant risk that the Uchiha will be able to control the combined chakra of the tailed beasts." It was the Hokage's advisor who had spoken, the scars on his face taking on a much harsher appearance in the dim light of the cavernous council room. "Beyond that, it is impossible to plan or strategize with accuracy until we have the most important variable – Naruto."

"Tell them, Shikaku," Tsunade ordered.

"Just before the meeting I received word. It has been confirmed that five teams of sensors – assigned with a member from each of our lands," he paused to nod at each of the other advisors, "have been deployed to the far corners of the shinobi world as well as to measured grid points in between. They have begun a systematic sweep."

"With what result?" Onoki barked impatiently, as if this information should have been presented as the first order of business.

"At this point… there has been no sign of Naruto – not so much as a single trace of his chakra or the chakra of any tailed beast sealed within him. It is as if he and the biju – and Sakura, for that matter – have vanished from the face of the earth," said Shikaku.

The Raikage, in particular, seemed to reel as he digested this information. Gaara was forced to admit it was not what he had expected, either. And it was the collective, palpable shock of the group that proved to him – more than anything else so far – that the alliance truly remained on equal ground with respect to the issues they faced. No one had the upper hand.

"That doesn't leave us much to work with," added Shikamaru. His resemblance to his father was uncanny. "There is one piece of intel we can use, though – we have confirmed the location of the One Tail."

Although the blunt delivery of that news had shattered his sense of calm, Gaara did not show it. Facing his former companion… his tormenter… was inevitable if they were going to unite all the biju within Naruto, but the thought did not rest easy in his mind. Nevertheless, he continued to gaze at the Hokage's advisors with a passive face, and allowed Kankuro's mumbled profanity to speak for him.

Onoki's craggy face was contorted in a scowl. "That does us little good if we've lost the other eight."

The Raikage growled in agreement.

"They are not lost!" said Tsunade, slapping the palm of her hand on the table.

"I suggest we adjourn for now," Gaara said smoothly, "and take the evening to consider the options in light of this new intel. We will meet here again, at nine tomorrow morning."

Heavy chairs scraping against the floor was the only sound as the council room slowly began to empty. The sultry weather had done its job, giving Gaara plenty to review in the quiet hours of the night ahead. As Baki saw to the needs of the other Kage and their staff, Gaara quietly slipped out into the hallway only to be stopped by Shikamaru.

"Do you have a minute? I want to talk to you – in private," he said.

"Follow me," said Gaara, making his way toward the Kazekage's office. Once there, he ushered Shikamaru inside and slid the door closed. His guest did not speak immediately, so Gaara was forced to prompt him. "What is it, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "I didn't want to say this in there," he said, pointing back in the general direction of the council room with his shock of black hair. "I didn't want to say this at all, really. It's a pain in the ass but I don't think I have a choice now."

"What is it you wish to say?" said Gaara, folding his arms.

"This thing about Sakura – about her being the only one with Naruto… I think it could be a problem," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and sighing again.

"The Hokage – Sakura's master – does not seem to think so."

"That's because Tsunade-sama doesn't know what I know," Shikamaru said with a smirk. "She doesn't know everything that's gone on between Naruto and Sakura lately – she doesn't know it's a whole big deal."

Gaara absorbed the information, understanding now why Shikamaru had reacted the way he did during the meeting. After a few moments he said, "Why share your thoughts with me – the Kazekage?"

"Because you're less political than the others," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "And you stand by Naruto in a way even the Hokage doesn't."

"I see." It was Gaara's turn to sigh heavily. "You are not confident in Sakura's ability to support Naruto during this important mission?"

"It's not that, exactly. Sakura is intelligent and strong… she's a good medic and she believes in Naruto," said Shikamaru.

"Then I do not understand your objection."

"Well, if you're Naruto's friend… you know he's in love with her." Shikamaru sighed again. "And depending on who you believe, she's finally fallen for him too."

A dim memory flashed in Gaara's mind then. It was an image of Naruto, exhausted and bloody, dragging himself across the ground in an astonishing display of will to protect Sakura from Shukaku's crushing arm of sand. _His_ crushing arm of sand. If it hadn't been for Naruto's fierce devotion to her, Gaara knew he might have killed them both that day.

"Yes, I have suspected that he… loves her," Gaara said, his thoughts still in the past. "Because I had dared to threaten her, I was beaten – as I had never been beaten before – by Naruto and his toad summon."

It was not clear to him what he had said to make a difference, but Gaara could sense that Shikamaru's mind was racing. After a few long seconds of silence his guest looked him in the eye once more.

"That's got to be it. Naruto – he's disappeared with their help."

"Whose help?"

"The toads." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Oh, man. We'll never find him – not until he _wants_ to be found. This is bad."

Gaara frowned. "I am still not certain I understand your concern."

"Naruto may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he knows he's running the game right now. And he's got her with him."

"I don't understand," said Gaara, renewing his frown. A scorching breeze blew in from the southern windows, bringing with it a faint cloud of dust. "You doubt Naruto's focus? His commitment to the alliance? His determination to save Sasuke?"

"Not really, but… I don't know." Shikamaru seemed to hesitate for effect. "Feelings are troublesome. Love and sex and all that – it just messes things up."

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><p>By degrees, Sakura's awareness steadily emerged from the inky blackness.<p>

She was floating… in a space she gradually came to understand was hidden in the invisible gap between somewhere and nowhere.

It was as if she were nothing more than a single, unraveled thread of chakra. A thread that was slowly being woven back into the fabric of life. The energy that surrounded her – that was supporting her – glowed in a soft and peaceful way. Although she was without physical form or any control over her circumstances, she was calm. She was safe.

As her instincts steadily expanded and sharpened she could sense more. Dark-colored ribbons occasionally drifted past. She could feel them sliding over her… like tiny waves of sadness, loneliness, fear, and guilt. The sensations these ribbons brought with them didn't seem to belong in this place.

Floating and floating, in time she sensed a threshold… above her, around her. Drawing closer to a bright light, she began to feel her body again. The pulsing tingle of blood in her veins. She could hear her name. It was an echoing whisper in her mind, as soft and fervent as a heartfelt prayer.

_Sakura-chan…_

The gentle ringing died away when, with tremendous effort, Sakura opened her eyes. It took a few moments for her blurry vision to clear… for her to recognize their grey-green cave and the distant drumming of the toad's heart.

Her view was of a familiar face, tilted toward her at an awkward angle. Although his arms encircled her listless body and held her close against his shirtless chest, Naruto was asleep. Somehow, he looked older. And he was pale, so pale. The dark circles beneath his shuttered eyes were silent witnesses to how he had been treating himself in her absence.

How long had she been unconscious? She numbly searched her memory, and the words printed in her medical textbook briefly hovered in front of her mind's eye. _When a human body is drained of chakra it enters a prolonged period of regenerative stasis lasting days to as long as a week or more_.

That was too much to comprehend just now.

Sakura didn't have the strength to turn her head to look, but she could hear the fire crackling and sense the heat from it. Naruto had been keeping things going – tending to her, watching over her at his own expense – for several days at the very least.

As she stared quietly at his exhausted appearance, tears began to fill her eyes. The flood of emotions she felt for him drained what little chakra she had managed to build up, and Sakura began to fall backward again, sliding below the surface of consciousness until she found herself floating in the safe but hidden space once more.

The next time she opened her eyes she was on her side, facing the fire. She was so incredibly warm and comfortable that she hated to move, but it was a very good sign that she could. As her senses began to register details, Sakura realized that Naruto was lying on his side behind her. His arm was curved around her waist, holding her close against him, and she could feel his chin resting against the back of her head. He was asleep again.

When she stirred ever so slightly he snapped awake, inhaling sharply. Slowly, carefully, Sakura shifted onto her back. Naruto propped himself up on an elbow, his features shadowed with a mixture of joy and concern.

"Sakura-chan," he breathed.

He didn't seem embarrassed at all that there was an obvious shine of tears in his bright blue eyes, or that his hand was still resting on her hip in a very personal and protective way.

Sakura smiled faintly and whispered, "How long?"

"I don't know," Naruto said with a small roll of his shoulder, "but it's felt pretty much like forever."

Regardless of the heat and brightness of the nearby fire he was even paler than before, and the dark circles under his eyes were darker still. The strained expression on his face reminded her of the time she had scared him by leaving the safety of the toad without telling him.

"The worst part was when you were shaking all over. The only thing that seemed to help was—" The hint of a blush finally put some color in his cheeks. He hesitated and glanced down at the cozy position of their bodies. "Well, was to keep you warm."

"I'm sorry if I worried you," Sakura whispered. "I didn't even think about the possibility of my chakra getting drained. What a stupid, rookie mistake." She closed her eyes and swallowed against a dry throat. "We need to be a lot more careful, Naruto. It's only the two of us… we can't afford to be so reckless."

She felt his hand leave her hip and he leaned away for a few seconds. Sakura opened her eyes to mere slits, just as he winced in pain and hurriedly pulled a shirt over his head. But he wasn't fast enough. She saw it before he got it covered. She saw the angry, festering, scabbed wounds around the seal. It had four tomoe now.

Combing her fuzzy brain, Sakura could only account for three before she had lost consciousness – Kurama, the two-tailed blue cat, and the seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle they had fought together. A fourth symbol on the seal meant Naruto had been fighting alone. He had been enduring the burns and the pain without any help or relief because she wasn't there to do her job.

Sakura weakly reached out and touched Naruto's arm. No wonder she had been so warm, sandwiched between him and the fire. His body was wracked with raging fever. Unsure which emotion would spill out of her first, Sakura covered her mouth with her other hand.

"I'm okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto said quickly.

"No, you're not," she said miserably. "You're burning up and in pain… and I've been lying here for days, doing nothing—"

Naruto took hold of her hand and leaned over her, his brow furrowed. "Don't worry about me – I'm _okay_."

"But you've been fighting – I saw it, Naruto – there's another mark on the seal. You've been shouldering everything, and—"

He squeezed her hand. "I can take it, Sakura-chan. Trust me."

As she stared into his eyes and let his strength and confidence persuade her to relax, Naruto seemed to lean a little closer. When his gaze drifted to her lips, she remembered.

"You kissed me," she whispered, smiling faintly.

He sat back suddenly, almost as if she'd slapped him. "Wh-what? No, I didn't – I never—!"

"Yes, you did. It was right after the fight with the beetle – the Seven Tails. We were celebrating. You picked me up, and twirled me around, and… _and you kissed me_."

Blushing furiously now, Naruto was in denial. "I just _thought_ about it, Sakura-chan – th-that doesn't count. It wasn't real."

She heard Kurama's sly voice in her head then – what he had said when they'd kissed in front of all those tailed beasts: _It's about time, Naruto_. Wasn't that proof it was a real kiss? Or at least proof that Naruto had wanted to kiss her? How many more times would he have to imagine it before deciding to make it count?

"Well, it felt real to me," she said, not caring if there was hurt in her voice.

She pulled her hand from his and sighed. Naruto still wasn't playing fair. No matter how much time passed, or what they went through together, nothing really changed between them. Nothing at all.

Sakura spent the next few minutes slapping Naruto's hands away and ignoring his offers to help her stand. She had managed to sit up easily enough, but felt like a newborn fawn struggling to find her feet. Naruto sat back on his heels, alternately ruffling the hair at the back of his neck and hesitantly reaching out to steady her. He even dared to smile at her when she gave him her best withering glare.

After a few careful, shuffling steps in the sand her knees threatened to buckle and Naruto was on his feet in a flash, holding her up. She might want to be angry with him – for having the gall to deny he'd kissed her and generally being his infuriating self – but she had to admit she needed his help. Having treated patients recovering from chakra exhaustion, she knew it was going to take time before she was back to normal.

She took a few more uneasy steps.

"If you want something I can get it for you," said Naruto, still annoyingly eager to get back in her good graces.

"I want to take a bath," Sakura said, allowing Naruto to support her as she stubbornly leaned over to pick up the kettle. "I didn't get one before – you know, because _someone_ made me drop everything that second so he could train, train, train." She scowled at him then, realizing he looked very clean and must have had at least one more bath since the one she knew about. "I've spent who knows how many days since, just lying in my own filth. It's gross and I can't stand it another minute."

"I wouldn't exactly say you're _gross_, Sakura-chan," Naruto cautiously volunteered.

Sakura gave him another glare. "So what would you say – _exactly_?"

"N-nothing," he mumbled, at least having enough sense to look sheepish.

Confident that had shut him up, she went on. "I'm having a bath, and then… I need something to eat."

Naruto must have recognized the implied ultimatum because he immediately steered her to a stump and sat her down. Sakura watched in silence as he snatched up the kettle, put it and the wash basin into the copper tub, and with a flash of white teeth hurriedly dragged everything off in the direction of the toad's mouth.

He'd said he was okay. That he could take the pain. But despite his bravado, and despite the way she was treating him right now, she was worried. About him. About them. About how they were going to make it considering the shape they were in. She prayed he really could take it, because she didn't have the strength to heal him.

Sakura closed her eyes and rested, listening to the intermittent splashes as Naruto used the wash basin to fill the tub. Next came the sounds of swearing and labored grunting as he slowly pulled the heavy tub back across the expanse of sand to its spot behind the long-dry curtain of laundry. The temptation to lie down again and nap until the kettle came to a boil was strong, but getting up had been too difficult to risk it.

It wasn't until Naruto had patiently led Sakura to the side of the tub that it dawned on them they had a problem. How was she going to get her clothes off and get in without his help?

This wasn't the sort of task a smart girl would entrust to Naruto. But the steaming water was so inviting, and Sakura was so desperate to be clean that she ignored the stern voice of warning in her head. She let go of his hand and steadied herself by gripping the edge of the copper tub.

"Get the soap, a towel, my toothbrush, and the paste, please," she said. When he returned with the items she straightened up, wobbled for a second, and then looked him in the eye. "Now you're going to turn your back and stand right here so I can lean on you for balance." She pointed a finger in his face. "But you're to keep your eyes _shut_."

It seemed that Naruto had gone a shade paler as he swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay."

He did as he was told, and when Sakura was satisfied he couldn't sneak a peek without her knowledge she removed her clothes as quickly as she could without falling over. Holding on to Naruto's arm, it took several tries before she could raise the first leg and step into the tub. The second leg was a little easier, but not much.

Sakura gently eased into the hot water. Staring at the back of Naruto's head she said, "Okay, I'm in. Please give me some privacy. And I mean it, now – no peeking."

"I won't – I promise," he said.

She waited until he had disappeared behind the makeshift curtain before she settled down. It felt so good and soothing, but it wasn't easy to feel calm with a notorious gawking pervert around. Every snap and crackle of the fire had her ducking below the water and trying to cover herself. It was exhausting.

Eventually she noticed there was a gap beneath one of their traveling cloaks that hung from the rope, and that she could see Naruto's sandals as he paced around the fire pit. Sakura watched his feet for a while and finally felt free to relax. He wasn't trying to peek, and all her paranoia had accomplished was to drain energy she didn't have to spare.

The effort to brush her teeth, lather up her body, and wash her hair took more out of her than she could have possibly imagined. After a pathetic attempt at rinsing off, Sakura had to sit still for a while and regain enough strength to somehow get out of the tub, towel off, and get dressed. She was going to need Naruto's help again, no doubt about it.

"Naruto?" she called out. She used a sweeter tone this time. He'd earned it by not peeking, after all.

"Yeah?"

"I'm ready to get out, please," she said, speaking to the pulsing ceiling. "Same deal as before. You keep your eyes _shut._"

"Okay."

She listened as he dropped another chunk of driftwood on the fire, and then watched as his sandals appeared at the edge of the curtain. He hesitated there, his blond head bowed.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Sakura ducked low and covered herself once more, expecting Naruto to walk toward her – one hand over his eyes and the other searching the space before him. But he didn't. He turned and walked backward, coming to a sudden stop when the heel of his sandal struck the side of the tub. When she craned her neck to check, his eyes were closed tight.

Slowly, carefully, she first pulled and then pushed herself to a shaky stand. Water sloshed out of the tub and soaked Naruto's feet.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he mumbled.

Using his arm as she had before, she stepped out of the cooling water. Everything was going according to plan until she leaned over to pick up the towel. Suddenly dizzy with fatigue Sakura tried to straighten up but overcompensated, sending her tumbling right into Naruto.

Just as a sightless man would be, he was lost at first – flat-footed and slow to react. But once he realized what was happening – that she was beginning a helpless, flailing crash to the ground – he groped at the air trying to save her. It wasn't easy. One of his hands caught her at the waist but the other missed its mark, slipping along her wet, soapy skin until it closed over a breast.

They both drew a sharp breath at the same time. Everything else was in slow motion. They just stood there, her wet body – bare behind and all – flush against him like a sack of rice in his arms.

It seemed to take a very long time before Sakura regained her balance and Naruto moved his hands to a safer place. When she finally found the courage to look at him, his eyes were still shut tight but his face was a painful shade of pink.

They shuffled in silence to the clothes line, where Naruto's arm served one last time to steady her as she pulled on a loose pair of pants and a shirt that had belonged to the old man.

Struggling to get the top button to stay fastened, Sakura was struck with the fact that such vigilant modesty hardly mattered now. Naruto may not have seen everything, but he'd already had his hands on most of it.

"Okay, I'm decent," she mumbled, trying the button one more time before she gave up.

Naruto didn't answer. Knowing it would be best if they could get the awkwardness behind them as soon as possible, she lifted her chin to face him. He was wiping a trace of blood from his nose.

"Oh no!" she said, trying to raise her tired arm to examine his injury. "I hit you when I fell, didn't I?"

"No, it's not th—" He obviously changed his mind about what he was going to say. "I don't know… maybe you did," he said instead, laughing uncomfortably.

He was acting strangely. Like when she'd sunk to her knees to smell his wounds and he'd gotten… _excited_. Sakura's heart began to beat faster at the thought, but knew there was no way she could risk a glance to check. Instead she kept her gaze fixed to his sparkling eyes.

"I'm s-sorry, Naruto."

"I'm not," he said, his voice raspy and more than a little uneven.

Until that moment, Sakura would have bet everything she had that she knew all of Naruto's smiles. But the one curving his lips at that moment was new – at least it was new to her. It was the sort of smile that didn't match their conversation at all. A man's smile that somehow made her feel as if she were still naked. She shivered involuntarily.

Naruto frowned then and broke the spell. "You're starting to shake again," he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the fire. "I'm not a medic or anything, but I think that means you need to rest."

"Only if you promise to rest too," she said, dropping unceremoniously to her knees on her bedroll.

Sometime during her stasis Naruto had positioned a large piece of driftwood to act as a sort of headboard. The one pillow they had was leaning against it, and she used it to prop herself up. Watching as Naruto knelt quietly near the fire, Sakura tried running her fingers through her wet hair to separate the tangles, but she was too tired to raise her arms anymore.

"What are you doing?" She could see the movement of his muscles through the thin fabric of the shirt he wore.

"Just getting you something to eat," he said.

He reached for a pair of chopsticks and used one to stir something for a minute, then grabbed a nearby scrap of towel. When he finally sat down beside her she could see what he'd made. It was the ramen cup.

Sakura stared disbelievingly at his face until he looked at her. "What?" he said.

"I thought you were saving this, Naruto. It was going to be your reward."

He shrugged. "You need to eat, Sakura-chan, and it's the only thing I know how to make."

Cold, painful guilt squeezed her heart. "Naruto," she began softly, "what have you been eating while I was in stasis?"

"Leftovers… some other stuff." He shrugged again. "I told you, Sakura-chan. I'm okay."

He'd said it casually but Sakura knew he was lying. All this time, when he was going hungry and could have eaten the ramen cup, he had saved it. Only to turn around and give it to her.

"Share it with me?" she whispered, trying in vain to keep her tears at bay. "Please?"

His eyes brightened. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said. "I think you're going to have to feed me, so sharing it is the least I can do."

A few accidental chopstick pokes later, they settled into a strategy that worked and wouldn't cost either of them an eye. They talked and laughed. And it was totally crazy – taking turns eating a very stale ramen cup – but Sakura couldn't remember ever feeling so happy. This had to be what it meant to really trust someone, and believe they really trusted you.

But it was over all too soon, and once Naruto had drained the last of the broth he tossed the empty cup into the pit with a satisfied sigh. Overwhelmed by fatigue, Sakura used her last bit of strength to scoot down and turn on her side.

"Naruto?" she whispered, barely able to keep watching the flames change color as the ink in the cup's label caught fire and burned away.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"I'm cold." It was true, but more than anything it was an excuse to have him near. She needed him.

Naruto didn't say anything. He simply shifted until he was pressed up against her, his arm sliding over her waist to hold her close. Eyes closed, she searched for his hand. Slipping her fingers between his, Sakura smiled and fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Many thanks to **scarlett71177** for the final read-through, and for always being there. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Sakura carefully stretched her muscles, chasing away the last traces of the second nap she had taken. Naruto was reclining beside her, flipping through the pages of the herb book she had brought from the cabin. It was impossible to tell if he had slept again too, but she doubted it. He didn't need as much rest as she did right now, and he was never one to tire easily.

As she sat up the collar of the old man's shirt she wore slipped down over her bare shoulder. It was too big for her, and the dark blue fabric was soft from years of wear. That's why the stupid top button wouldn't stay fastened. It wouldn't matter so much normally, but due to the awkward circumstances of her bath earlier she had been in such a hurry to cover herself that she hadn't put on any underclothes. So even though she looked dressed, it didn't quite feel like it.

She pulled the shirt back into place and tried the button again. Getting the sleeves above her elbows would help keep it from slipping, so she began to roll them up.

Naruto shifted his position slightly, and although he tried to hide it from her he winced. It was the last straw, and this time she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"All right. On your back so I can have a look," she said.

"I told you I'm okay, Sakura-chan."

"No, you're not so quit stalling." She reached past him and their driftwood headboard to grab her medical kit out of the pile of gear.

"I'm not stalling, I'm reading," Naruto replied innocently, pretending to study a sketch of true indigo.

"Uh huh. _You_ want to read a book?" She smirked and snapped her fingers. "Come on, let's go."

He sighed and tossed the book aside, and she resisted the temptation to help pull his shirt over his head.

"I just don't want you to get so tired again."

Naruto unzipped his pants and worked them down over his hips, just far enough that she could easily treat the angry skin around the seal on his abdomen. Leaning back on his elbows then, he didn't seem embarrassed at all.

Sakura hoped he didn't notice the steadying breath she had to take.

"I'm not going to stress myself or anything so you can relax," she said, taking a fresh bandage from her medical kit and soaking it in herbal liniment. She wanted to keep this as professional as possible, but couldn't hide her smile at his concern. "If you ever paid any attention to me, you would have heard me explain that I can ease at least some of your pain without using any healing chakra – just a little antiseptic and a local anesthetic."

"I pay attention to you, Sakura-chan," he said, his voice somehow rough and soft at the same time.

She really couldn't argue with him. Naruto had been very attentive in the hours since she regained consciousness, hovering at her side while she rested, assisting with any task he thought might exceed her level of strength, and entertaining her between naps by building an elaborate sand fortress and attempting a string of goofy card tricks that he didn't actually know how to do.

Even now he was watching her fingertips glide over his skin as she gently tested the temperature of his burns, and while there was nothing unusual about that – he had watched her heal him countless times before, after all – this time it felt different and she wasn't sure why.

Maybe it was because their chakra had been so intimately intertwined, and the echo of Naruto's thoughts… of his soul… had lingered in her heart since they'd fought the Seven Tails together.

Maybe it was because she had figured out that the warm, protective energy she had sensed surrounding and supporting her during stasis was Naruto's own pure chakra, and that regardless of his mission orders he had ignored his own pain, exhaustion, and hunger to take care of her, holding her and keeping her warm even while he slept.

Then again, maybe it was only because she couldn't stop thinking about her little bathtub accident. About the way Naruto had caught her. About exactly where his bare hands had been, and how it had felt to be naked in his arms. She couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to be in his arms again… if they were both naked, and his hands slid over her body on purpose…

Sakura shivered and blinked a few times. _So much for being professional_, she thought.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" said Naruto.

"I'm fine," she lied. Reaching up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear, she glanced at him with an uncertain smile.

The expression on his face was unnerving to say the least. It was like the smile he had given her after she'd bloodied his nose – a cross between mature sincerity and boyish perversion. But there was more to it than that, and Sakura got the same strong impression she'd had once before – that somehow, on some level, Naruto could tell what she was feeling. He knew she was thinking about him. About them being together… naked. Somehow, he knew.

A hot and tingly shock wave burned along her nerves, and she tried her best to still the sudden trembling of her hands. She wanted so much to understand what was happening between them. Why he acted this way. She wanted to feel calm again. She wanted to either move forward with him or go back to the way it was before – before she cared whether he was in love with her or not. She wanted to know how to act, what to say, and what to do next.

But she didn't.

Looking away, Sakura sought balance in the facts instead. This guy – the one with the pervy blue eyes who was able to unzip his pants for her without so much as a blush of protest – was the very same guy who just hours ago had flat out denied kissing her in front of witnesses. They were frightening, horrible, monster witnesses, she admitted, but they were still _witnesses_.

The whole situation was impossible, and she was being ridiculous again. What was wrong with her? She knew better than this. She had been trained better than this.

It simply wasn't _smart_ to be daydreaming about sex. Not on a critical mission, and not with a man who was careful not to admit or follow through on anything. An accidental groping was just that – accidental – and it was embarrassing for her to think that Uzumaki Naruto, of all people, might have more self-control – and less interest – than she did.

Sakura sighed and renewed her attention to the task at hand. She had a patient with painful injuries that hadn't been treated for days because of _her_ mistake, and she _still_ wasn't doing her job.

She took a tin of salve from her kit and pried off the lid. Dipping the tips of her middle and ring fingers into the soft, oily balm, she began to carefully spread it onto the worst of the crusted burns. Naruto flinched but didn't complain.

"Which one did you beat?" she said, smoothing a thin film of salve around the fourth tomoe that had appeared on the seal.

"Oh, it was Kokuo."

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I didn't catch all their names. Which one is that?"

"The Five Tails." He was watching the movement of her hands once more. "He's the one who looks kind of like a white horse except with a dolphin head. He's pretty old-fashioned and doesn't say much, but those horns… man. He got really close to stabbing me." Naruto shuddered. "I thought he was going to kill me for sure."

She didn't like the sound of that. "What happened?"

"It was weird," he said, a slight smile curving his lips. "I thought it was going pretty good – they were all just talking to me at first."

While she had seen them for herself and interacted with several, Sakura still didn't get how Naruto could have regular conversations with the biju, or how he could behave as if he was halfway fond of them. His relationship with the tailed beasts was unlike anything she had ever seen or even heard of, and one that wasn't simple to understand.

She touched a particularly crusty wound then and Naruto flinched for the second time, his face momentarily contorted in pain.

"I'm sorry," she cringed.

"I'm okay, Sakura-chan."

That line had become his anthem of reassurance to keep her from doing too much for him. It would be easier and far better to treat him with chakra, but she'd given her word that she wouldn't. It was ironic that _she_ had to promise _him_ she would take it easy – something he rarely did for her.

"The biju were talking to you? About what?" she prompted. It was a standard medic technique to get patients talking during simple procedures; it helped distract them from their pain. She loaded her fingertips with salve again.

Because he was leaning back on his elbows it wasn't easy, but Naruto managed a small shrug. "You, mostly."

He shifted his gaze to meet her eye for a moment, and although he was smiling his cheeks colored beneath the whisker marks. Her cheeks colored too.

"M-me? What about me?"

"It's hard to explain because the way they say things is kind of mean, but I know they were impressed with what you did – how you figured out a way to be there with me, and how strong you are."

"Right," she said, brushing the hair from her face with the back of her hand. "Like when I fainted and made myself look like a rookie idiot?"

His smile seemed to glow. "Yeah. They all thought so – even more when Kurama said—" He paused and his blush deepened.

"When Kurama said what, Naruto?" Sakura was staring at him in rapt attention.

"Well, when he said you reminded him of my mom. She was jinchuriki before me, you know."

_So… it __**is**__ her. Hmm… it's just as I thought._

Sakura remembered Kurama saying those words. He'd said them the moment she had run into the circle of monsters to stand at Naruto's side. They were curious words that had made it sound as if he already knew her, but until now she hadn't understood what they could possibly mean.

She had no right to it, she knew, but the comparison filled her with a strange sense of pride and it left her speechless. But Naruto seemed to misinterpret her hesitation. His attitude changed abruptly, instantly bringing to mind the lonely misfit he used to be.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of lame," he mumbled.

"It's not lame at all, Naruto," Sakura said quietly. "Your mother was a jinchuriki and a Hokage's wife. Being compared to her… I don't see how it could be anything but an honor."

As quickly as his glowing smile had disappeared it returned. For a while neither said a word, although Naruto continued to watch her finish touching up his burns.

"I'm going to use some chakra now, but just enough to seal this, okay?" Sakura said finally.

Naruto answered by nodding. He settled down flat on his bedroll so it was easier for her to apply the cool, clean bandage, and he covered his eyes with the back of his forearm. When he spoke a few moments later his voice sounded far away.

"Where do you suppose he is now, Sakura-chan?" His mood seemed to have shifted completely again.

"Where _who_ is now?"

"Sasuke."

Because she was still building back her reserves, Sakura had to concentrate harder than she normally would to get her chakra tuned correctly. Nevertheless, the bandage was quickly fused in place.

"I don't know," she said, wary of this unexpected mention of their old teammate. "The last word I got from Kakashi-sensei was just a guess, but he said that Sasuke was probably hiding out with Tobi and Uchiha Madara."

She patted Naruto's thigh to let him know she was done, but he didn't move.

"He feels so far away… farther away than ever, and every day… every minute it's getting worse."

Unsure what to say, Sakura began to repack her medical supplies. "Well, Sasuke chose his path, and—"

"It's not getting worse because of him, Sakura-chan." Naruto hesitated and she could hear him swallow hard. "It's getting worse because of me."

She clicked the lid shut on her kit and frowned. "What do you mean? How is it getting worse because of you?"

After a long silence he said, "Because I want… because I'm starting to—"

Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head then, obviously changing his mind about what he'd meant to say. The fingers of the hand at his side slowly curled into a fist, and he began to pound a well into the sand beneath his bedroll.

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura rested her hand on his thigh again. "Can it be so bad that you can't tell me?"

He nodded, and it took a second for her to realize what he meant. "You _can't_ tell me?" she said softly.

"No." He tried harder to hide his eyes with his arm. "I can't."

She wasn't entitled to any private thoughts he didn't want to share, but it was like a stab in the heart to know he felt he couldn't confide in her.

Before she could recover and think of something to say, there was a jarring lurch and the cave pitched violently without warning. Naruto quickly fastened his pants and pulled on his shirt, then sat up beside her. They both instinctively scanned the driftwood landscape.

A rapid series of rhythmic jolts indicated that their toad host was on the move. The grey-green interior quickly dimmed and became much colder. They faced each other with wide eyes that were silently scrambling to adjust to darkness.

"He's changing positions – diving deeper into the lake," Sakura whispered, as if her voice could be heard beyond the toad's thick skin. "What does it mean?"

"It means they're looking for us," Naruto said, his certainty making her shiver more than the invading chill.

"But who? _Who's_ looking for us?"

"I don't know. I can't tell."

"But I thought with Kurama's chakra you _could_ tell – that you could sense lies and bad intentions?" As her mind worked through the possibilities, Sakura felt a fleeting sense of hope. "If you _can't_ tell – if you can't sense anything bad – does that mean it's the alliance?"

"The diving toad blocks chakra both ways, Sakura-chan," he said, glancing at the ceiling for a moment before meeting her gaze. "If they can't sense us, we can't sense them."

_Us. We_. She knew he wasn't talking about the two of them; he was talking about himself and the biju. She shivered once more, uselessly searching the walls for information as the toad continued to swim.

"So it could be Tsunade-sama or Madara, Kakashi-sensei or Tobi, Sai or Shikamaru… or even Sasuke – we don't know and there's nothing we can do to find out," she said.

"Yeah." Naruto sighed with heavy resignation. "Remember, the diving toad has pretty much the same orders as me – to stay hidden until I'm ready. Somebody must have got a little too close."

The toad's motion eventually began to slow, and as a final ripple rolled through the floor of the cave they drifted for a few seconds before coming to a stop. The fire seemed twice as bright and warm now, casting long, dancing shadows across their small camp.

Naruto's face was bathed in firelight as well, his hair taking on a golden glow. He looked older again. And unhappy.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said quietly, at a loss for better words.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Just… because."

"Come on, Sakura-chan." He leaned against her shoulder in a good-natured way. "You can tell me anything."

"Right." She nodded to herself. "I can tell you anything, but you can't tell me?" There were tears in her eyes before she could stop them. Hoping he wouldn't see, she turned away to stare at the fire's flames.

"Sakura-chan—"

"I said I was sorry because I know you're restless," she said, cutting him off before he could voice whatever excuse he might make up. "Because the people you want to stop and the people you want to save are out there but you can't go to them. I'm sorry that fighting the biju is so difficult and painful, and that you're stuck in a cold, dark cave with no one but me," she paused to have an empty laugh at her own expense, "a medic who lets her chakra get drained and leaves you on your own for days."

Naruto didn't answer right away, but when he did his tone held the same blend of rough and soft as it had earlier. "I'm okay," he said thoughtfully. "And it doesn't feel that way to me – like I'm stuck with you or anything. I like it."

She could see he was trying to catch her eye with a silly grin, as if he thought he'd better hurry and make light of what he'd said or she might hit him.

"You're the one who's stuck," he continued, "on a boring mission where there's nothing to do but hang out in this toad and heal my sorry ass over and over."

Her mouth twitched with a smile. "The burns are on your abdomen, Naruto," she corrected, wagging a finger at him, "not your ass."

At the sound of his easy laughter she burst into giggles too, and Sakura was nearly overcome by a sudden urge to throw her arms around him and never let go.

"I don't feel stuck either, you know," she said, not able to look directly at him. "Wherever you are, I know that's where I'm supposed to be… where I want to be."

They were saved from fumbling their way through another awkward moment by the loud growling of Naruto's stomach.

Sakura tugged the shirt up from her bare shoulder again, and turned to him with a fresh smile. "Will you let me make us some food? Because we really need to eat."

"If you let me help," he said quite seriously, quickly adding, "not help cook or anything – since I suck at it – but I mean build up the fire and get stuff for you."

"Deal."

As good as his word, Naruto filled the pots with water and stoked the fire while she set about making another kettle of fish stew. She never got to taste how it turned out before, but Naruto had said it was great and it was easy enough to put together.

Not surprising, the hardest part of the process was waiting for the rice to cook, and Sakura's mind wandered. She was worried about their stash of supplies. It was going to be even harder to replace now that they were farther from shore. If someone had drawn close enough that the toad changed positions for Naruto's safety, they would have to think carefully before she made another scavenging raid.

Everything depended on how long it was going to take Naruto to complete his mission, and she had to try harder – think harder – to find ways to help.

"Naruto?" she called, frowning at the dried sand left behind in a bowl and cup he had used to form the battlements of his miniature fortress. She grabbed a nearby scrap of towel to wipe them clean.

He was busy pouring kerosene into the torches that framed the camp when he answered. "Yeah?"

"There's something I don't understand. It seems to me that… with each of the biju's chakra that comes under your control, you should be getting burned less. But your wounds are the same, and you still get the fever."

He set the kerosene bottle by the supplies and came to sit cross-legged beside her. "Just because I control their chakra – that doesn't mean they're not still mad, Sakura-chan."

She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see how they can be mad at you. You haven't done anything to them – in fact, you're trying to _help_ them."

"But it's what I said before… they're sort of like old friends who don't really get along, and they've been put in a spot they don't want to be in." He sighed and thought for a few seconds. "They're mad because – well, they're just mad at the world. They're mad because of the way they've been treated by people, and they want revenge. They want to be acknowledged. The more I'm with them, the more I understand."

"How can you understand them? They seem so—"

"Because, Sakura-chan," he said, meeting her gaze, "it's the same with Sasuke and me."

"You're nothing like Sasuke." It was good to say those words and feel certain they wouldn't hurt his feelings the way they might have years ago.

"I used to be – more than you think," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"See… before Mom helped me take Kurama's chakra, I had to meditate at this place – it's called the Falls of Truth, I think – on the turtle island. Bee took me there for training."

"The Kumo island," she clarified.

"Yeah. Anyway, I had to sit there… and the waterfall – it made me face the truth about myself – face the hate and need for revenge I had hidden in my heart because I was alone for so long – and because of the way everyone in the village had treated me. I had to let it go before I could be strong enough."

Sakura felt another urge to throw her arms around him. "Naruto—"

"Sasuke doesn't know how to let go – that's why I have to help him."

"And what about the biju, Naruto? Will they ever let go of their hate? Of their need for revenge?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

It sounded a lot more like the answer Naruto thought she wanted to hear than what he truly believed.

With the rice finally cooked and the fish stew steaming hot, they abandoned conversation for the time being and settled down to eat as much as they wanted. When they'd finally had enough, they left the dishes in a stack by the hearth and took their sandals off, then scooted backward over their bedrolls.

She wasn't really tired again – not yet, anyway – but Naruto insisted she had done enough for a while, and that it was time to rest. He positioned the single pillow they had between them and the headboard in such a way that they could share it, and pulled the thin blanket over her lap. Once they were situated he put the wild herb book in her hands.

"What is it with you and this book?" she said, not bothering to mask her skepticism.

He was sitting so close to her that when he shrugged she could feel it. "It's better than the other one. At least this one has pictures."

"You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the value of this book, Naruto," she scolded. "There are herbs in here that combined with my skill could save your life."

"It's just not very interesting." After a suspicious pause he added, "But maybe it would be if you read some of it to me." He leaned closer and nudged her feet with his. "I liked that one with the pink flowers—"

She didn't buy for a second that he meant it, but it was technically possible that he might learn something by accident anyway. At least it would mean he wasn't dirtying up her dishes by playing in the sand.

She began to fan the pages, looking for the sketch he had been looking at earlier. "It was true indigo, wasn't it?" she said sweetly, giving him no sign of her plans to torture him with knowledge.

"I guess so."

"Ah, here it is." Sakura smoothed the page and cleared her throat. "True indigo. While its native habitat is not known, this plant has been cultivated for many centuries and is one of the original sources of indigo dye. The dye is obtained by the processing of the plant's—"

"Indigo?" Naruto interrupted.

"Yes, haven't you ever heard of indigo dye, Naruto? It was probably used to turn the fabric of this shirt blue."

He reached over and tested the texture of her sleeve, as if how it felt had anything to do with its color.

She backtracked a little from where she'd left off and started again. "The dye is obtained by the processing of the plant's leaves. They are soaked in water and fermented in order to—"

"What does fermented mean?" he interrupted again.

"Well, it means… it's the state that results when sugar is combined with yeast or bacteria, and converted into other substances – like acid or alcohol."

"Huh."

She cleared her throat again. "In order to obtain the compound necessary to form the dye. The precipitate from the fermented leaf solution is mixed with a strong base such as lye, pressed into cakes, and—"

Naruto perked up. "Cakes?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not the kind of cakes you're thinking of."

"Figures," he said with a sigh.

"True indigo is a shrub one to two meters high. It may be an annual, biennial, or perennial, depending on the climate in which it is grown. It has—"

"Sakura-chan?"

"What now?"

"I've been thinking—"

"Well, that's always dangerous," she said with a smirk. "Thinking about what? Not indigo, I'm guessing."

Naruto was unfazed by her tart comment, and when he spoke again his voice was very near her ear. "I've been thinking that maybe… maybe I should just go ahead and kiss you – for real – I mean, since you were so disappointed that I didn't really kiss you before."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he dare to make such a stupid and untrue statement? How could he _dare_ to make it sound as if she had imagined those kisses – kisses that happened inside_**his**_ mind – and then act as if he's willing to do it now as some kind of pity favor? It was a completely outrageous thing to say even for him. Her temper flaring instantly, she snapped the book shut.

"_Disappointed_? I never said I was disappointed. All I—" She turned to level her best withering glare at him, but when their eyes met she lost her purpose. The rest of the words she'd planned to fling at him floated out as she slowly exhaled. "Said was…it seemed… real to me."

"Then… you don't want me to?" he mumbled softly. His breath was warm against her lips.

If she said no it would be a lie and he would know. Maybe this had been his strategy all along. To run hot and cold and keep her on the defensive. To take his time pushing all her buttons, making her want him so much she couldn't think straight anymore and then make her beg. But there was no point in pretending or trying to resist. He'd known exactly how to play her and it was over. She was owned.

All Sakura could manage was a small nod of consent. They had already been cut off from the rest of the world, but it ceased to exist entirely the moment Naruto leaned in and kissed her. There simply wasn't room in her thoughts or her heart – in any of her senses – for anything but him.

The way his mouth moved against hers now was nothing like the kisses they had shared in his mind. His technique wasn't practiced or perfect, and that's what she liked about it. Each kiss he gave her was hot and wet and bravely desperate. And here, in the real world, she was able to feel it in her blood and with every inch of her flesh.

_Hell yeah_.

She didn't know how long they had kissed before Naruto slowly began to ease off. When he pulled back slightly he looked as dazed as she felt.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" he breathed. "Are you getting tired?"

Nodding yes to the first question and no to the second, she closed the space between them and kissed him as slowly and deeply as she knew how. The sound that vibrated in the back of his throat sent another hot and tingly shock wave through her, so she kissed him that way again. And again.

She was lost in sensation. She wanted more… more of his lips, his hands, his tongue… and Naruto only seemed to gain strength from her willing responses.

The shirt collar was off her shoulder again, and he took her exposed skin as an invitation. Although his mouth never left hers, his fingers left her hair to drift slowly down her throat. There was nothing to stop him. The top button had come undone a while ago, and so had she.

Naruto angled his fingers and slid them down inside her shirt, and she thought her pounding heart would burst in anticipation. When his hand smoothed over her breast she nearly swooned, and made a sound against his lips that she had never made before.

Sakura had no experience with men, but she knew how things worked and about the things women did to please them. She had always imagined it would be awkward, or that she would be too shy to try anything, but as her hand began to move up the inside of Naruto's thigh, she was far more excited than nervous.

He let her touch him, but a moment later he seemed to freeze. He suddenly broke their kiss, almost as if the life had been shocked out of him. Sakura opened her eyes. His were shut tight, his heavy breathing warming her face. Before she could speak a word he turned away from her and sat forward, his hands raking repeatedly through his shaggy hair.

"I don't know what's happening to me," he said, his voice rough with emotion.

She thought she understood. "There's no reason to be embarrassed, Naruto. Getting excited is normal."

"I know that," he choked out. "That's not what I mean."

"Then what?" she said softly.

He didn't answer.

"Naruto?"

He shook his head miserably, and as cold disappointment gripped her heart she knew what it meant. Whatever was bothering him, he wasn't going to tell her.

"I'm scared, Sakura-chan," he whispered finally.

"I know you are, Naruto, but I can't help if you won't tell me why."

Sakura took a chance and put her hand in his. He held it, but she knew he was only doing it for her.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Unfortunately, real life is not going too well right now, so I haven't been able to update as often as I'd like. I hope this chapter makes up some for the wait. :)

Many, many thanks to **scarlett71177** for being willing to read a chapter in unordered pieces. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

The cave had never felt smaller or colder. It wasn't just that the darkness created an illusion that the whole world existed within the halo of the campfire. Sakura _felt _alone. It was as if, once again, she was of no use beyond a standby healer. As if, once again, the person she cared for the most didn't really want her around. She had hoped that with Naruto the pathetic days of longing – of wanting so much to be wanted and acknowledged – were behind her. But now…

_Never touch a man below the waist unless you are prepared to deal with the consequences._

Sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, Sakura sighed heavily as she went through the motions of checking her medical supplies. She should have listened to Tsunade-sama's advice, pure and simple. Because everything that was wrong now – the distance and the awkwardness and the uncomfortable silences between them – had all started at that exact moment. The moment she had touched Naruto below the waist.

Oh, he was friendly enough. Naruto did his best to keep things light and casual, an annoyingly sunny smile glued on his face most of the time. But it was all an act. She knew he was still struggling with private fears, he just refused to share them with her. Sometimes he watched her when he thought she didn't see. As if he wished things were different. But it wasn't the same between them. He knew it, she knew it, and he knew she knew it.

Sakura sighed again, and tipped her head back for a moment to look toward the pulsing expanse of black overhead. Of course, being trapped inside the toad with no clocks or sunlight there was no way to know exactly how long it had been. It could have been forever by the way it felt, but Sakura estimated it had probably only been a week. She was back to full chakra level, and during the span of time – however long it was – Naruto had been training almost constantly, long enough to have won another fight.

His training, at least, was something he was willing to talk about – to a point. He had described to her in animated detail how he had won against the Three Tails – or Isobu, as Naruto called him. Sakura's recollection of Isobu wasn't a pleasant image: it was a grotesque, crab-like turtle with horns on its head and giant shrimp for tails. The memory of its appearance made her shudder.

Nevertheless, Naruto was sympathetic to the beast. Maybe even a little fond of it. He had described Isobu as "just a shy kid with a messed up eye," and said he'd felt bad about forcing it into a contest. Apparently Naruto had won the fight fairly quickly – by comparison, anyway – and it had basically boiled down to numbers. Isobu had a very simple style of attack: to roll into a ball and try to mow down its opponent. But Naruto and his sea of clones had easily managed to overwhelm the turtle and take control of its chakra.

That win had put a fifth tomoe on the seal – meaning that Naruto had control of more than half of the world's tailed beast chakra – and yet after the fight his body had been as burned as ever. Sakura still did not fully understand how that could be so – how Naruto could continue to be burned so profoundly despite his degree of chakra control, but a theory was forming in her mind. The question was could she get him to listen and agree?

Sakura didn't bother to glance in his direction. He was in training again, sitting in the sand just beyond the ring of firelight. He'd gone to an unusual amount of effort to explain that the darkness made it easier for him to meditate, and maybe it did. But she couldn't help feeling that it was really her he wanted to keep in the dark.

Whatever. Despite everything that had happened between them, she had to accept the fact that her role was simply that of medic. Not partner, not girlfriend. She was prepared for Naruto's next inevitable round of burns, and that was all she could do.

Their dwindling supplies had made it necessary for her to use boiled and iodine-treated water whenever it was possible to spare the herbal liniment, and fortunately her chakra was restored so she could use it for healing without him fussing about it every ten seconds.

For the third time Sakura took a deep breath and sighed heavily, then leaned back against the driftwood headboard and closed her eyes. It didn't help her frustration that there was literally nothing to do but wait and be quiet. She had washed all their laundry again, washed their dishes and cooking pots. She had boiled drinking water, boiled the rags and some of the bandages she could reuse, refilled the bath tub after Naruto had taken his bath, made another pot of fish stew, and filled the large pot with water and hung it over the fire so it would be hot for her own bath.

After mentally reviewing everything she'd done, Sakura realized she did have another role. She was a lot like Naruto's mother. She frowned.

A blinding blaze of white light appeared beyond her eyelids, and she opened them in time to see the grey-green dome of the cave illuminated for a few seconds before it faded away again. Sakura scrambled to her feet, staring into the darkness to force her eyes to adjust. If Naruto was unconscious or too injured to walk, she would need to find him quickly.

Before she got more than a few steps she saw him, staggering his way back to the camp. "Are you all right?" she said.

"Yeah," Naruto replied. But his arm was in front of his stomach, as if his instinct was to somehow hold it together, although there was no blood on the bandage. He winced. "Okay, no, I'm not."

Sakura steered him to the nearby stump on which she washed the laundry and urged him to sit down. "Hold still while I get my kit."

Quickly grabbing everything she'd prepared, she set the kit in the sand, handed Naruto his canteen, and began to assess his injuries. The height of the stump put them exactly eye to eye, and having him sit up – positioned between the fire and one of the kerosene torches – it was possible to get a 360 degree view of just about everything but his legs.

His body was burned everywhere again, but the damage wasn't uniform. This time there were large, puffy blisters on and just below the surface of his skin. Their bubble-like appearance – the way they seemed to be almost floating to the surface – put a spark to the theory she'd been working on, but she needed to perform a more detailed examination.

"How is the seal? I don't see any blood."

"It's weird but I think it's okay. It hurt a lot at first – not so much now."

That was good news, although a quick temperature test of his skin proved he still had a fever. She quickly flooded him with healing chakra.

"Tell me about this fight," Sakura said casually, purposely diverting Naruto's attention in a specific direction.

Once he was stabilized, she picked up a clean rag and wet it with sterilized water. She stepped behind him and began by gently cleaning the wounds on his arms and back.

"Well, there's only three left to fight – Son, Gyuki, and Saiken, right?"

"Uh… okay." She wondered if she would ever remember all their names.

Naruto sighed before he explained, "That's the Four Tails, Eight Tails, and Six Tails."

"Right," said Sakura.

"I decided to try taking the ones that are left in order, so this time I challenged Son." Naruto laughed softly but winced again. "He kind of likes me – I mean, as much as he'll ever like any human – so I thought I had a good chance."

"What happened?"

"Well, it was going pretty good, I thought. Son is huge – and could easily beat the crap out of me – but he was fighting fair. The thing is… I don't think Saiken was."

Sakura leaned in to sniff one of the puffy blisters and wrinkled her nose. "You don't think Saiken was what, Naruto?"

"Fighting fair." He took the cap off his canteen and took a few swallows. "While I was busy fighting Son, Saiken tried to—"

Naruto paused to crane his neck, trying to see what she was doing. "Face straight ahead please," she ordered. When he had obeyed she prompted him. "Saiken tried to what?"

"I don't know – it was like… super toxic farts or something." Naruto whistled before he shuddered. "It smelled so gross – and it made me sick."

"Farting in order to win a match isn't a crime," Sakura said, determined not to smile even at his back. "If I remember right, that's how you beat Kiba during the Chuunin Exams."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cringed. "That – that was a long time ago! And I was just a kid!"

"Doesn't change the facts," she said.

She was too focused on tuning her chakra to say anything more. Naruto grunted and took several more swallows of water, wedging the canteen between his legs to hold it.

"Besides, see, it's supposed to be on the honor system. The biju aren't supposed to help each other when they fight me – that's why I couldn't use Kurama's chakra in the first place."

Spreading her fingers to hover over as many blisters as she could at once, she gave him a gentle warning. "Be prepared – this may be painful."

Naruto nodded and went on. "I'd noticed it before – Saiken's farts or whatever – but it was a lot worse this time – ouch! – I figured he was trying to distract me. OUCH!"

He craned his neck once again to see what she was doing, but she saved him the trouble. Sakura moved to stand before him, a large bubble suspended in the air above the palm of her hand. A blue-white mist was swirling within the thin, clear membrane.

"Saiken wasn't trying to distract you, Naruto. He was trying to _poison_ you."

Naruto stared at the bubble. "Poison?"

Sakura nodded. "I'm willing to bet that Saiken's presence has been the main cause of your fever and burns all this time."

"I can't believe it," said Naruto, still staring. "Really?"

She nodded again. "What I can't believe is how long it took me to figure it out." Sakura scowled. "But the good news is I can help you beat him."

Naruto's golden eyebrows immediately drew into a grim line. "What do you mean… _help me_?"

"I can fight Saiken with you. I know a lot about slugs, and—"

"No way," he said flatly, shaking his head.

"But I could encapsulate the poison with my chakra while you—"

"No, it's too dangerous, Sakura-chan. You barely made it through the last time."

Sakura knew she couldn't risk uttering another word or she would cry. Maybe he was truly worried about her. Maybe he meant well. But the way he'd said it – the way Naruto had dismissed her so quickly – broke her heart.

All she could do was continue with her work, drawing out the poison that accumulated in his skin. When the bubbles reached a certain size, she carefully cast them to the ground some distance away. The toxic gas couldn't be released within the cave; it would likely be harmful to their toad host as well as to them. She would have to collect the spheres and then bury them for safety, like a clutch of eggs, until they could be disposed of properly.

Sakura saved Naruto's face for last, hoping that by then she would have regained enough control over her emotions to look him in the eye. Standing between his knees, she extracted the bubbles of poison from his cheeks and forehead, and he indicated there were still a few hiding on his scalp, invisible beneath the shaggy mop of yellow-blond hair.

After the last poison sphere had joined the others, she resumed tending to whatever trace burns remained. She tuned her chakra to a soothing mixture of healing and pain relief, and systematically touched the soft tips of her fingers to each lesion on his face. When she leaned near to get at a stubborn burn behind his ear, she could have sworn he smelled her hair.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered.

Without giving herself time to overthink it, Sakura pressed her lips against the soft skin between his ear and sideburn, and let her cheek rest against his. At the same time they slowly turned their faces until the corners of their mouths touched. Everything around them became warm and thick and blurry, and Sakura closed her eyes when Naruto's warm lips slid over hers.

It only took a few soft, insistent kisses and she had completely melted inside. His hands held her waist, and she leaned as close as the stupid stump would allow. They kissed and kissed, her hands slowly gliding up his muscled arms to his shoulders. But the moment she slipped her hands behind his neck he began to pull away.

"No, Sakura-chan. I – this is wrong," he whispered, using the grip he still had on her waist to steer her backward. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have—"

"You're damn right you shouldn't have," Sakura said coldly.

Naruto was looking down in shame when she drew her arm back and slugged him right in the jaw. The force of the blow sent him flying backward, off the stump and through the curtain of laundry she'd washed earlier. He landed on his butt and skidded across the sand until he hit the bathtub, a few of the damp clothes going along for a ride on his head.

He sat still for a moment and blinked, as if he were dazed and seeing stars, then shook the clothes off and got to his feet. Rubbing his jaw, he walked back to face her.

"What did you do that for?" he said, sounding genuinely mystified.

"Because I don't understand what's going on, Naruto!" she shouted. Sakura preferred anger. It made her feel safer. But sometimes, especially with Naruto, it came with tears. They had already filled her eyes and were spilling down her heated cheeks. "Why do you keep pulling me close just to push me away again?"

Naruto hung his head. "I said I was sorry. It was a mistake."

"What have I done wrong?" she said, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice steady.

"Nothing, I swear," he said softly, but he would not look at her.

"Well, it must be _something_ if you consider it a mistake to kiss me," she challenged.

"It's not that… I didn't mean that, Sakura-chan."

"Then _what is it?_" She angrily wiped the tears from her face before folding her arms.

Naruto suddenly clutched at his bare chest, as if he was in terrible pain. "It's because – because you make me feel so happy and so scared at the same time it hurts."

The palpable anguish in his tone broke her heart into smaller pieces, and Sakura took an unconscious step toward him. "Naruto," she whispered.

"I'm starting to forget why I'm here and everything I've promised to do, Sakura-chan!" Tears rolled down his face as his voice grew loud and strained. "I **want** to forget. I'm starting to wish—"

"What do you wish?" she said softly.

"That I could stay here with you – just you and me – in this toad – forever." Sighing heavily as if finally admitting the truth had drained the last of his strength, Naruto rested a shaky hand at the back of his neck. "It's shitty and stupid and lame, I know, but it's how I feel."

If Sakura hadn't known better, she might have believed the ground was spinning beneath her feet at the same speed her head was spinning in the other direction. It was difficult to believe what she had heard. Of all the possible guesses she might have thought up, this would never have been one of them. She was going to have to begin with the basics.

"Naruto, please… calm down."

"Calm down?" he shouted. "_How can I possibly calm down when you're around all the time?_"

Sakura frowned. Forgetting about her broken heart for a second, she took another step toward him. "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means—" Both of Naruto's hands knotted into tight fists. "It means you're so pretty I can't stop looking at you. So cool I – I can't stop wanting to be with you." Tears filled his eyes once more. "You're so – I don't even know the words. I just – I just know it's wrong."

Sakura wasn't sure if she was supposed to feel good or insulted. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe before she started again. "What… how... why is it _wrong_?"

"Because I've started to think everything would work out better if I never went back," he said, looking her in the eye.

"What do you mean?"

"The whole war is about power, Sakura-chan. It's about ending the cycle of hatred – it's just that nobody agrees on how to do it, and everybody wants to use the biju to get their way." Naruto laid a hand on the white bandage covering the seal. "Tobi wants them, and the alliance wants them, but I've got them. If I stayed here – where none of them could find us – they'd have to settle their differences on their own."

Sakura slowly shook her head. "You will never give up, Naruto. You could never walk away from shinobi life, your friends, your village. It's in your blood. It's who you are. Never." She softened her voice. "And the things that make you happy – that you want in your life… it wouldn't make any sense if you had to give them up to be who you are. That's where I can help you."

"You don't understand, Sakura-chan. You don't know how I feel." There were tears in his eyes again, and he squeezed them shut. "We have to just be friends… or whatever."

"Does how I feel not matter at all?" she whispered.

Naruto didn't answer, managing to completely shatter her heart this time.

"I see." Feeling that at this point she had nothing left to lose, she added, "And what about your promise to Sasuke?"

"I don't know – I'm not smart enough to know anything right now." His head dropped again. "All I know for sure is… I can't be close to you while I'm trying to figure it out or I never will."

Seething anger began to gather the pieces of her heart and hold them together by force. "Well, then by _all means_ let me make it easy for you, Naruto." A single, pathetic sob escaped her. "_Get the hell away from me!_"

"Sakura-chan—" He was staring at her, the saddest expression she had ever seen upon his face.

"_**Now!**_"

When Naruto saw the fist forming at the end of her coiled arm he automatically took a step backward. Without another word he leaned down, grabbed the corner of his bedroll and whipped it up from the ground, then turned away. With his free hand he pulled the nearest kerosene torch out of the sand and took it with him.

As she watched him disappear into the darkness an immeasurable wave of pain and panic swept over Sakura, and she dealt with it the only way she knew how.

"And don't you _**EVER**_ try to kiss me again, Naruto!" she shrieked. "Or I swear I will knock your teeth down your throat."

It took a good long while for Sakura to admit her fury had subsided. She'd managed only a few bites of fish stew before she had given up, brushed her teeth, and finally added the hot water to the tub so she could bathe and wash her hair.

As she pulled on a worn pair of the old man's pants and a tight tee shirt, she refused to look out toward the single torchlight that burned near the bow of the wrecked boat. She refused to worry that it was cold and he had no fire or shirt to keep him warm. She refused to feel guilty that despite his sincere confusion he had said nice things to her, and in return she had screamed at him like a child.

After adding a few more pieces of wood to the fire, Sakura settled down on her bedroll. It would be okay. She just wouldn't think about the empty space beside her. She just wouldn't think about the warmth of his chakra, or the way he had cradled her in his arms while he slept. Or about the ramen cup they had shared.

She just wouldn't think.

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><p>Sakura's eyes didn't exactly snap open. They were sticky from the salty tears she had shed until she'd finally fallen asleep, emotionally exhausted. Although the loose sand and the endless drumming of the toad's heart had a way of masking all other sound, something had stirred her senses awake and she laid still to listen.<p>

It was Naruto.

At some point he had returned from his exile on the wrecked boat, and was lying behind her in his usual place. Over the low hiss and crackle of the fire she could hear his steady breathing, could feel it on her shoulder. Then she shivered involuntarily when his fingers suddenly stroked the ends of her hair that she had fanned out on the dingy pillow to dry.

He spoke quietly, his voice rough. "Your hair kind of glows – you know, because of the fire. Like hot pink coals. Nobody else has hair like yours, Sakura-chan. It's… really pretty."

She kept her back to him and her gaze fixed on a small snail shell that was half-buried in the sand nearby. Her first thought was to ask how he dared to come back after what he had said to her – why he was risking so much to be close to her again if she was such a terrible distraction – but thought better of it.

Instead she took a slow, deep breath and released it before she said, "You're just saying something nice so we won't get into another argument."

"Maybe it's a little bit that," Naruto said, and she imagined the crooked smile that was probably on his face. "But—" He hesitated an unnaturally long time before he went on. "It's like something my dad said to my mom that made her fall in love with him… and I just thought… maybe… if it worked for Dad, it might work for me."

For a few moments Sakura was stunned. Part of her was afraid to give in and trust what she was hearing, but it wasn't enough to calm the riot in her heart. She slowly shifted until she faced him. They were practically nose to nose, and she stared into his eyes.

"Okay, so let me make sure I've got this straight," she said, trying to keep her manner cool. "Now you're saying you _want _me to be in love with you? You want to be more than friends – or whatever?"

She could feel rather than see the blush that crept onto his whisker-marked cheeks. Naruto moved his chin in a tiny nod. "Yeah," he choked out, as if he was scared spitless.

A crazy thrill zigzagged through her, but Sakura was too stubborn to let him see more than a disbelieving smirk. "Then why do you try so hard to annoy me all the time, Naruto? Why are you always picking fights with me?"

"I don't know." He shrugged sheepishly. "I guess I like the way you fight." His gaze drifted over the features of her face then, lingering on her lips. "The way you get all worked up… it's kind of hot."

Sakura rolled her eyes but her haughty smirk threatened to become a smile. "You're insane," she scoffed, giving him a shove. "And just too much trouble. You are impossible, Uzumaki Naruto, absolutely _impossible_."

"But you're in love with me anyway," he crowed, a cheesy grin showing his white teeth.

She fended off his pawing attempts to pull her closer. "I didn't say that!"

Naruto resorted to tickling her then, and her protests soon dissolved into squeals and giggles. During the struggle he managed to shove his arm under her side and pull her on top of him as he settled on his back, and her leg slid over so that she was straddling his hips. They were nose to nose again.

"Then… you're _not_ in love with me?" he said breathlessly.

He wasn't playing tricks or some kind of teasing game anymore. Naruto was asking her for the truth, and in a way she never had before, Sakura realized how undeniably real their feelings for each other had become. This was it.

"I didn't say that, either."

They both smiled at the same time. Chest to chest, their hearts were literally beating against each other. Nevertheless, Sakura was compelled to interrupt the romantic moment with a practical concern.

"I feel like I must be crushing you – your burns." She tried to raise herself up, to take her weight off his chest, but he held her still. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"No, I… I like it," he said, although it was obviously difficult for him to breathe. "It makes me feel like you don't want me to get away. Like… you'll never let me go."

Sakura slipped deeply and hopelessly into the sparkling blue of his eyes, his honest vulnerability resonating to the core of her spirit. Once again there was no room in her senses for anything but him. She lowered her head, gently rubbing the tip of his nose with hers. "I don't plan to."

His lips were parted, and hers brushed lightly against them as she teased his nose, but he made no move. It was then that Sakura remembered the angry threat she had shouted at him – that she would knock out his teeth if he ever tried to kiss her again. He was leaving it up to her.

She was only too happy to oblige, kissing him softly at first, but it was not long before Naruto took over. His arms slowly crossed her back and he held her so close – as if he feared a flicker of firelight might separate them – and his deepening kisses sent a now-familiar hot and tingly shock wave through her body.

Naruto finally relaxed his hold on her, making it easier for both of them to breathe and continue kissing. Eventually his hands wandered down her back, shamelessly sliding beneath the waistband of the old man's pants she wore and then beneath her underwear. He smoothed his palms over the fleshiest part of her behind.

"_Naruto_," Sakura mumbled, interrupting their kiss just long enough to pretend she was scolding him for his boldness.

"I can't help it. It's so—" He hissed softly through his teeth as his fingers squeezed her rear. "Perfect."

That sound he'd just made – that hissing – filled Sakura with a wild sensation of freedom. She kissed him again and then whispered against his lips, "I should have known a pervert like you would actually give my ass a rating."

Based on his fevered reaction, her crude choice of words had totally turned him on. He shoved his hands lower, and as he forced her underwear down over her hips she felt the loose bow that had held her pants in place come untied. The soft fabric slipped away, exposing most of her so-called 'perfect ass' to the cool air of the cave.

Their kisses slowed but were somehow hotter, wetter, and Naruto's tongue slid against hers in the same rhythm that his hands gently rocked her hips. It was no secret to her that he was fully aroused; between the thin fabric of the black funeral pants he was wearing and the way she was straddling him, there was very little left to her imagination.

And it crossed Sakura's mind then that they were going too far, too fast. That they were too young, and didn't understand what they were getting into. That they were unnecessarily complicating their lives and their mission. But as Naruto changed positions and eased her onto her back, she lost herself in his eyes once more. Sakura knew what she wanted, and the warning bells – all the echoes of those old shinobi conduct lectures – were silenced.

Naruto leaned over her, one of his feet resting between hers, and watched his own hand as it explored her body. It slowly glided over her stomach to a breast, his fingers tracing its contour through the thin material of the tee shirt she wore. When he had done the same to the other breast, he met her gaze.

"Can I see them?" he said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it before.

Sakura swallowed hard, more from sheer excitement than nerves, and managed a small nod. Naruto tried to push the hem upward but didn't get very far; it was a very snug shirt and she was lying on it. After a moment she stilled his hand.

"Let me," she said, and he leaned back so she could pull the shirt up and over her head. It got snagged on the driftwood headboard and, unconcerned, she left it there. At the same time she worked her legs free of the pants and underwear that had slipped down to her knees when she'd rolled over.

Silently, almost reverently, Naruto leaned over her once more and sent his hand back the way it had come, from one breast to the other, as if he was memorizing the way they felt – the way his touch made her sensitive skin twitch and quiver. After a few moments he paused to glance down the length of her body and then back to her face.

"Whoa," he whispered. "You're _naked_, Sakura-chan."

He'd said it as if he didn't know how it had happened – as if he hadn't realized it would be the result when her clothes were stripped off.

"I know," she said. Somehow, talking about it made her feel more naked – and unequally exposed. She drew Naruto down into a lingering kiss before whispering, "And it's really only fair if you're naked too."

It was his turn to swallow hard. He stared into her eyes, a strange expression on his face that she couldn't quite read. He made no move to stop her fingers as they gently trailed over the white bandage covering the seal and then began unbuttoning his pants. Once they were loose he took it from there, shoving the pants and his underwear down to his knees, working his legs free the same way she had before he turned back to her.

Sakura had studied male anatomy in textbooks. She had observed the genitalia of male corpses in the detached, academic setting of an autopsy room. But this was completely different. It was Naruto – the Naruto she had known since childhood – and the sight of his adult, naked body – so very _alive_ – sent an unexpected, primal shiver through her flesh that she could never begin to explain.

They held each other close, kissing slowly and a little more tentatively as they adjusted to the new sensation of bare skin against bare skin. Soon his kisses deepened once more, and Naruto's hand returned to her breast. Sakura had never felt anything so wonderful or exciting until, perhaps a minute later, his mouth drifted from hers and took the place of his hand.

Instantly arching her back, Sakura made a soft whimpering sound. She slipped her fingers into his hair and closed them into a fist. Naruto raised his head, his eyes darkened and heavy-lidded with the look of hunger she had seen a few times before.

"Am I doing it wrong?" he rasped, his voice uneven. "I saw Pervy Sage do it to some lady once—"

"Naruto—"

"At an inn in – some village we were staying—" Physical creature that he was, Naruto was struggling to express his thoughts even more than usual. "Through the keyhole—"

"Naruto, hush." Sakura smiled faintly and tightened her grip on his hair until he fell silent. "You're not doing it wrong. It's very, very _right_."

There was just enough time for the corner of his mouth to curve in a smile before she guided it back to her breast. He seemed to draw inspiration from her reckless responses and began to move from one breast to the other, his tongue teasing and thrilling her until she was senseless.

In her desire that he might feel what she was feeling, to give him as much pleasure in kind, Sakura worked her fingers between them and touched him. Naruto stopped stock still and lifted his head to meet her gaze, the blue of his eyes darker still. She smiled at him. It was a fascinating thing to stroke, so hard and yet silky soft at the same time. But Naruto could not bear her curiosity. He desperately groped for her hand and pulled it away, then slid between her legs as he struggled to pin her wrists down against the bedroll.

Although he was trying to hold still, small tremors wracked his body as he panted in her ear. "If you keep… doing that… I'm gonna—"

Sakura instinctively raised her knees, hugging his hips with her smooth inner thighs. The raw intimacy overwhelmed them.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto breathed almost painfully, his teeth grazing her neck.

There would be no more words. His mouth found hers as he pressed against her, into her, and she clung to him fiercely. Tears eased from beneath her closed eyelashes; not from the brief sting of pain, but from the knowledge that they would never be separated again. That she would be with this one man, sharing his life, his dreams, and his bed from then on.

The tremors within Naruto's body seemed to become synchronized and his hips moved against her, a growl building in chest until he let go of a skull-splitting yell by her ear and then collapsed on top of her.

Despite the importance of the moment, Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes with the heel of her hand and began to giggle, the force of her stifled laughter shaking them both. After a few seconds, Naruto – still red-cheeked and breathing hard – shifted his weight to an elbow so he could see her face.

"What's so funny?" he said, a crooked smile on his soft lips.

"I was just thinking," Sakura said, lacing her fingers with those of his free hand. "This toad had better block sound as well as it blocks chakra, or after that they're going to find us for sure."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the slow update, but real life has not gone as well as it could. Thanks for sticking with me on this story.

As always, many thanks to **scarlett71177** for knowing how to be a true friend. All recognizable characters, locations, and concepts are the property of **Masashi Kishimoto**. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

Sakura waited until Naruto's breathing deepened and his arm had gone slack before she quietly left his side. For a few moments she stood perfectly still and watched him sleep. In the low firelight the messy hair that framed his face was the color of burnished gold and his skin seemed to glow. He looked so peaceful and happy, and it made her smile.

With each step she took away from the fire the sand beneath her feet grew colder, and when she ducked beneath the curtain of laundry the air on the other side seemed colder still. But the chilly sensation didn't matter much. Although she was in the belly of a diving toad, submerged in a lake, in the dark, and no one – not even Naruto – could see her, Sakura was already keenly aware of her nude body. She felt different. Changed. She was no longer a naïve girl.

Carefully pulling the old man's soft blue shirt from the clothes line, she slipped it on but didn't bother to button it. Then she stepped over to the stump with the washbasin and, as quietly as she could, splashed cold water on her face and dried off with a scrap of towel. It wasn't that she was trying to hide anything from Naruto, she reasoned. It was just that she wanted time alone to sort out her thoughts. She had to do what needed to be done as quickly as possible, and it would be easier without his questions and concern.

Sakura closed her eyes and listened to the toad's heartbeat. Focusing healing chakra into her hands, she placed them on her lower abdomen. Relief from the bruising and soreness was a simple bit of self-healing, and whatever discomfort she had felt swiftly melted away. But that was the easy part.

What came next – what absolutely had to be done – was a procedure she had learned during her training but had never performed; a technique that Tsunade-sama required all Konoha medics to know. The field deployment of kunoichi made it an unfortunate necessity, since there was always a risk they could be captured by an enemy at any time and subjected to sexual assault. Consensual sex among the ranks was always a risk as well, regardless of command disapproval. She and Naruto were living proof of it.

It may not have been the best decision to give in to temptation and complicate their situation, but she could still limit the consequences. They were simply not prepared for such a responsibility. They had just started to really know and understand each other. They were young shinobi on a dangerous mission in the middle of a war, and it was by no means certain that either of them would ever see their village again. They were in no position to risk bringing an innocent, defenseless life into the world.

Squaring her shoulders with resolve, Sakura concentrated and then flooded her womb with chakra. She followed the specifically-tuned energy with her mind, just as she would if she were healing another patient, but it wasn't as straightforward. It was much more difficult to maintain the precision required when the signatures of the healing chakra and the target tissue and organs were the same.

Fortunately her intimate knowledge of Naruto's chakra and physiology served the task well. Easily distinguished from her own, the millions of living cells encoded with his DNA were perfectly clear to her mind's eye, and in a matter of seconds each one went dark and collapsed, torn apart by a microscopic chakra needle.

The needles rushed on, and in a final controlled burst she made two small, bilateral incisions and fused them closed. There would be no possibility of pregnancy now, at least not until she was ready and chose to have the procedure reversed.

Sakura leaned back against the stump and hugged herself for a while, watching her toes sift through the sand without really seeing them. She had done the smart thing and done it in time. It was the right thing for both of them, she was sure of it. So why did she feel so strange and empty?

_Breathe_, she reminded herself. _Just breathe_.

When she returned to the fire Naruto was lying on his side, curled up in defense of the damp chill with his arm stretched across the space where she had been. Sakura dropped to her knees and reached for the blanket before she crawled onto her bedroll. Although he was still half asleep, Naruto shifted to his back again and drew her to his side. She pulled the blanket over their legs and settled down, positioning herself where she could see his face.

"Where'd you go, Sakura-chan?" he mumbled, his eyes closed.

"Oh, just to splash a little water on my face," she said.

His arm tightened around her. "I like it better when you're with me."

Sakura smiled at his simple manner. "Me too." It was true. His warm strength made her feel safe and hopeful again. After a short silence she said, "Naruto?"

"Yeah?" His chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm but his eyes remained shuttered.

"What do you think people will say – the others – when they find out two teammates from their academy class are having sex?"

She could tell her question had filtered into his sleepy brain when his forehead wrinkled. "Who had sex?"

_Dense brain_ was more like it. Sakura angled her head to stare at him. Incredulous, she propped herself up on an elbow.

"Look at me," she commanded. The unbuttoned indigo-blue shirt she was wearing fell open, and when Naruto obeyed she knew he had a good view of her breasts. "Who do you _think_ I'm talking about?"

He blinked but did not answer.

She nudged him roughly with her hand and sighed in frustration. "We're both lying here _naked_. For all intents and purposes we've been sleeping in the same bed since we got here – you know, _like husband and wife_. We just kissed and touched each other and—" Abruptly running out of bravado, Sakura's face burned with a fiery blush and she fell silent.

Naruto was wide-eyed by then, the expression on his face transforming into a contorted mixture of shock and panic. His scrambling heels dug into the bedroll as he tried to sit up.

"I'm s-sorry, S-sakura-chan," he choked out in a garbled stutter. "I didn't mean to – I mean, I would never – please don't—" He paused to swallow hard. "I'm sorry – really sorry—"

His genuine fear that he had done something wrong or had somehow treated her with disrespect brought unexpected tears to her eyes. "Hush," she whispered softly, shaking her head. She leaned in to offer a kiss of encouragement, and although he was struck with uncertainty he took it. "You have no reason to be sorry, Naruto. I'm not."

She offered another kiss that he returned with more confidence, and then she urged him to relax and lie down. He put his arm around her and pulled her to his side once more. Neither spoke for a while, and Sakura spent the time with her hand resting over Naruto's heart, wondering if she would ever understand the way his mind worked. She always seemed to say things and react in ways that made him feel stupid or in the wrong, when in her heart she wouldn't do it for the world. How long would their relationship be an obstacle course of traps and exploding tags?

"Please don't take this the wrong way," she said finally, "but it's kind of hard to believe this has really happened. You know, that you and I have happened."

"Yeah," he said, tucking his free arm behind his head. "A couple of times I've wondered if… maybe I'm asleep or something."

Sakura smiled again. "Asleep? Why would you say that?"

"Well, because I used to have dreams like this," he said, his tone uncharacteristically quiet and serious.

_Used to_. There was no point in asking what he meant. She had beaten him over the head with her tragic love for Sasuke so many times that he had learned to push his own feelings aside. It might not have been as obvious as the beating he had taken from Karui, but Sai had let Sakura know in no uncertain terms that she had hurt Naruto far worse. She had been so stupid for so long.

"Naruto, I need to tell you something," she said.

"Okay." Although that word on its own didn't betray him, there was a sudden tension in his muscles – as if he was afraid of what she might say next.

"One day when I was with Tsunade-sama – when she was in her coma – Sai came to see me. He told me that you… that you were in love with me."

"That bastard," Naruto ground out, thumping his fist against the bedroll. "What a big mouth. I ought to shut it for him so he'll learn to mind his own business."

"Don't be that way, Naruto," Sakura said softly. It wasn't his fault that he didn't understand. He wasn't there that day. It had been her bitter lesson to learn, and every convicting word Sai had said was burned into her memory. "Sai did it because he's a true friend. He really cares about you."

"But I didn't want—" Naruto sighed in an irritated way. "He shouldn't have done it."

"He shouldn't have told me the truth just because you wouldn't tell me yourself?" She felt the sting of tears in her eyes again; it was so painful to think about what she had done. "You think he was wrong for making me see that the feelings I had for Sasuke were hurting you, and I was too selfish and blind to figure out why you really made that promise to me?"

His silence gave her the answer he wouldn't admit out loud.

Sakura stared into pulsing darkness above them. It would be easy to assume Naruto was simply angry at Sai for meddling in his love life, but she knew it was deeper and more complicated than that. Sai was a constant reminder that Team 7 wasn't the same anymore; he was a living, breathing testament to Sasuke's decision to turn his back. Naruto was still locked in a private battle with Sasuke, and didn't want anyone or anything to interfere. In the end it had been easier for her to let go.

After a while she said, "I used to believe Sasuke was better than both of us, and all I wanted was to be good enough and pretty enough that he would notice me. I was so serious about him taking me seriously."

"I know," said Naruto.

"And I mistook that feeling – of wanting his acknowledgement – for wanting _him_. I thought it was love." Sakura took a deep breath and released it slowly, then shook her head against Naruto's shoulder. "The truth is… I think I would have gotten over it a lot sooner if he hadn't given me hope."

"What hope?" She didn't need to look up at him to know he was frowning; she could tell by the sound of his voice. "When was that?"

"Oh, a long time ago – way back when we were still in school," she said, absently gliding her hand over his smooth chest. "I was sitting alone one day and he showed up out of the blue. He gave me a compliment and almost kissed me. I really thought he wanted me but was too shy."

"Huh."

She craned her neck to plant a kiss on Naruto's neck. "But now I know it was really you the whole time."

His whole body seemed to tense up again. "What, uh… what do you mean it was really me?"

"I mean that all that time _you_ were better than Sasuke. I mean that it's _you_ I want to be good enough to be with." She reached up and gently turned his face toward hers. "It's your acknowledgement I want."

Naruto gathered her in his arms and pulled her on top of him. "Sakura-chan," he whispered, his unnerving blue eyes darkened with emotion as he searched her face.

If she had thought straddling his hips left little to the imagination when they were wearing clothes, it was nothing compared to the raw honesty they shared now. Maybe she should have been past her old insecurities already, but talking so openly about her feelings and the painful past had made them seem fresh and vivid. In that intensely private moment, when she knew what was going to happen, Sakura suddenly felt self-conscious again. Stripped bare and vulnerable in every sense.

Unable to look at him, she bought time by trailing kisses from his cheek to his ear, then slowly down his neck to his chest. His fingers were playing in her hair, and then, after some time, he took her face in his hands and drew her upward. The warm and gentle kiss he placed on her forehead filled her with a sense of peace and acceptance her heart had never known.

Sakura relaxed and let her weight rest on his chest as they kissed, knowing he liked to play the part of willing captive. She searched for his wrists then and held them down near his head, kissing him as slowly and deeply as she could. When he breathed a low, desperate-sounding growl against her lips she smiled, excited by the hot thrill that shot through her.

Naruto easily broke free from her grasp and smoothed his hands over her behind the same way he had before, this time gripping it so fiercely she was sure it would leave marks. The indigo shirt fell like a curtain on either side of them, and she loved how it felt each time her breasts touched his chest. Heat and need pushed them on, beyond the awkward moments when his hands steered her hips into position.

Trading slow kisses, they eased together completely. With no nervousness, fears, or pain to distract her, the experience was very different. This time she felt warm and tingly with electricity. And vaguely anxious. Naruto urged her to sit up then, and within seconds the electrical current seemed to double.

As if a dark shade had been drawn, the light of rational thought was blotted out and instinct sought to guide her. Sakura closed her eyes and began to move her hips. She took it slow at first, reveling in the feeling of wild freedom and the strength of Naruto's reassuring hands on her thighs.

But the warm tingle grew stronger and stronger, becoming a sizzling fuse that flashed with a white-hot brightness when it finally detonated. A shuddering shockwave seized her entire body then, and she barely had the sense to recognize that the soft, gasping appeal for more was her own voice.

Naruto planted his hands on the bedroll beneath them and pulled himself to a sitting position, bringing her with him and forcing her legs wider as her knees connected with the driftwood headboard. He reached up to push the unbuttoned shirt off her shoulders, and the fabric slithered down her back to gather around her elbows. He balanced her in his arms and like a seductive swan, Sakura arched backward.

Without hesitation his mouth was at one breast and then the other, over and over until the white-hot light flashed again. She opened her eyes to find Naruto looking up at her face, the smallest trace of a smile on lips. She leaned down to kiss him but he broke away, and all too soon it was over.

They sat still for a minute or so until their breathing slowed, and then in an awkward sort of tumble they separated, both shifting around until they could lie next to each other but comfortably flat.

"That was… I mean… compared to the first time… wow," Sakura said breathlessly, brushing the hair away from her forehead. She felt flushed. Radiant. "I have _never_ felt _anything_ like that before." After taking another slow, deep breath she sighed. "Wow."

"I know." Naruto shifted to his side, an easy smile on his own flushed face. "It's better than… ramen."

"Better than ramen? Oh yes, that's what a girl wants to hear," she said, frowning petulantly as she thumped him square in the chest.

"Sakura-chan," he said, taking hold of her hand and turning her toward him. "I just meant… well, ramen was the best thing I could think of."

Sakura woke in the loose hold of Naruto's arms. They must have both fallen asleep quickly because the last thing she could remember was his silly comparison of sex and ramen. The fire had been unattended for quite a while, as it was mostly embers and ashes now. It was still warm enough for the time being, but would need to be stoked soon.

Although his eyes were still closed, she didn't let that stop her from trailing her fingertips down his neck to the hollow at the base of his throat. She couldn't get enough of touching him, it seemed. His lashes fluttered open then and he smiled.

"I have a question," she said, watching the progress of her fingers on his skin.

"Okay."

"The way you made me feel… it was like you could read me. Like you knew what I wanted." She met his gaze. Accepting that he was a kinesthete was one thing, but understanding it was another. "How can you do that?"

"Because… I'm awesome?" he said, flashing his familiar cheesy grin.

It was all Sakura could do not to laugh. "As a matter of fact you are – _that's what I'm saying_ – but you lose points when you brag about it." His expression reminded her of a scolded puppy. "And you didn't answer my question."

"That's because I don't know. I don't know if I can explain it." He seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. "When I touch something… or try stuff… that's how I figure out how it works and what I'm supposed to do."

"So you're saying that… when you touch me you just know what to do? Like magic?"

A slight blush in his cheeks made the whisker marks stand out. Naruto half-shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose… sort of. I don't really think about it. It's more like… I can hear what my body says. It tells me what to do and I do it."

Sakura's mouth twitched with a smile. "Who would have thought that you, of all people, would turn out to be such a good listener?"

"Okay, now you're just being mean, Sakura-chan," he said, slowly flexing his fingers into claws, "and it's payback time."

For a while their private world echoed with her shrieks and giggles as Naruto tickled her without mercy, but before too long they were kissing again. Lying naked beneath him, Sakura could not remember ever feeling so much joy or trust in another living soul. This kind of happiness – this liberty – was dangerously addicting, and they were on the verge of a serious binge.

"Naruto," she whispered, using a break for air as a chance to speak. "We're getting carried away again."

"So?" he murmured, continuing to kiss her.

"I don't want you to be right – that I'm too much of a distraction," she said. As her words started to sink in his kisses slowed, and then he finally leaned back. "We're on the most important mission of our lives but we're not acting like it."

He gave up then and rolled over onto his back, making no effort to hide that he was aroused again. "Damn it," he said, his forearm covering his eyes. "So we're just… never going to do it again?"

Sakura pulled the blanket up to cover herself. "Not _never_. I'm not saying that at all." She was tempted to comfort him but didn't dare. Not yet or they would be back where they just were. "I'm saying it can't be all we do or all we think about. And really, you're the one who said it was wrong in the first place, remember?"

Naruto cursed again before he sighed heavily. "Yeah… I know."

Although he seemed resigned she knew he wasn't sold yet, but she had an idea. Propping herself up on an elbow, she took care to hold the blanket against her chest. "The ramen cup you shared with me – that was going to be your reward, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's make this the reward instead."

His arm slipped away from his face and he stared up toward the hidden ceiling. "So I have to beat the last three biju first?"

Put that way, Sakura didn't like the deal. They had no way of knowing how long it would take. "How about… um… a reward for every biju?"

The words had hardly left her mouth before Naruto was on his feet. After a brief, chaotic search for his underwear and pants he found them in the sand just beyond the halo of firelight. Sakura had to shield herself from the rain of sand when he shook them out, but a few grains got in her mouth anyway. She was trying to spit them out when he zipped his pants and turned to her.

"I'm going to train," he announced, his chest puffed out and his determination to focus on the mission restored.

"No, you're not."

He stared at her, a deep crease lining his forehead. "But you just said—"

"What I mean is, I don't want you training until I get back." It wasn't easy to stand while trying to keep herself covered. After several unsuccessful attempts Naruto offered his hand and pulled her to her feet. Once they were eye to eye and she had the blanket securely wrapped around her, she explained. "I need to be here in case you need treatment. I promise I won't be gone very long."

"Gone? What are you talking about, Sakura-chan?"

She launched the same clothing search he had just been through. Finding her pants, tee shirt, indigo shirt, and underwear, she picked them up and headed for the clothes line. Naruto was right behind her.

"We're almost out of food, Naruto," she said over her shoulder. "I need some more liniment too, if I can find it." Ducking beneath the curtain, Sakura dropped the armload of clothes and let the blanket fall away. She pulled the black mesh camisole and skirt of the Kumo funeral dress from where they were draped on the rope and began to dress. "The last time I was outside I saw a small settlement to the north – just a few kilometers away. I don't think I took all the food from the old man's cabin, either. What I don't get there I'll get from the village."

"I don't like it, Sakura-chan." Sakura could see the toes of Naruto's sandals so she knew he was standing there waiting for her. "The diving toad moved because someone got too close. We don't know who was out there – or if they still are."

"I know that, Naruto, but we don't have a choice." She twisted the skirt around to align the seam and zipped it up. The hip scarf was easy to tie on. "You can't say how long it will take you to win against the last three, can you?"

He sighed. "No."

"So we can't think the food we have will last until you do, can we?"

"No."

Pulling the mesh shirt over her head, she tugged it into place and quickly adjusted her breasts. "Then the way I see it we have two choices. Slowly starve while you try to fight them in a weakened state, or get food now and you can fight them strong."

"But—"

"Wait," she said, cutting him off as she pulled the jacket on and flipped her hair out of the collar. "There is a third option – I could help you fight. I mean, we'd still starve but not for as long."

"You know I don't want you to fight with me again," said Naruto. "It's too dangerous, Sakura-chan."

"That's what I figured you'd say. Therefore, since _my_ orders are to manage your health – and I outrank you – _your_ orders are to wait to start training again until I come back with enough food to get us through."

"You're pulling rank on me? That's really low, Sakura-chan."

She bent down and stepped through the partition of laundry. Once she had the jacket fastened with a knot at her waist she looked him in the eye. Naruto stared at her, a patch of red beneath set of whisker marks once more. She braced herself for his argument.

"Why are you wearing _that_?" he said.

Apparently the dress was adding fuel to his fire. "Because it's the only camouflage I can use," she said.

"I don't get it."

"Like you said, the toad moved so we know someone got near the lake. But there is no way whoever it was could have known we were here," she said, hoping it didn't sound as if she was lecturing him. "And I got to thinking about it… the alliance must have sensors out doing constant sweeps looking for you, and the enemy would know that. Neither side would want to give away their position or activities, so it's much more likely that it was a sensor who got too close and then moved on."

Naruto rubbed his jaw as he thought it over. "And if an alliance sensor found you… they're on our side."

"It wouldn't be ideal, but I really don't think we have to worry. There's a limited number of sensors and a whole lot of ground to cover. The odds are against one being close enough to detect me in the short amount of time I'll be outside. Especially if I stick to the shadows and keep my chakra levels to a minimum."

"So why that dress?" he said, reaching out to touch the loose ends of the waist knot.

Sakura stepped forward and put her arms around his neck. "Because if I have to go into the village for supplies, all they will notice is a woman from Kumo."

"That's not all they're going to notice," said Naruto. He glanced down at her cleavage before he leaned in and kissed her.

Had it been days or weeks since he had first kissed her? There was no way of knowing. But however long it had been, Sakura couldn't imagine how she had managed to live so long without it.

"Would you please dig out my pack while I put on my sandals?" she said.

When both had completed their task they met halfway in the space that separated them. Sakura took the pack from his hand and opened it to make sure it was empty, then went for the only thing she planned to take with her. When she knelt down by the collection of chakra spheres she had left in the sand after his last treatment, Naruto did the same. From the expression on his face he was lost.

"I need to take Saiken's poison outside and hide it," she explained. "If they were to break in here it could kill our host." She smiled. "And I've become very fond of toads."

Naruto held the pack open for her while she carefully stacked the spheres inside, and then helped her get it in place on her back. Pulling one of the kerosene torches from the sand, he led the way to the thin line of the toad's mouth that stretched across the smooth, grey-green wall.

He jammed the torch back into the sand and spoke loudly. "If it's safe, take Sakura-chan to the same spot as before," he commanded.

The toad jolted into action immediately, and they held on to each other for the ride. As the toad swam to the surface the cave became brighter again, and the driftwood landscape that had been hidden from them appeared out of the gloom. It didn't seem to take very long before the toad's movements slowed to a stop, and its mouth stretched wide.

"No training until I get back," she said, poking his chest with her finger.

"Yeah, I'll wait," he said.

"You won't have to for long, I promise. I mean, the sooner you can train, the sooner you'll win – and then we can _both_ claim your reward."

Naruto smiled in a way that warmed her inside. "Be careful, Sakura-chan."

"I will, don't worry."

She turned away from him, but as she reached up for a handful of reeds Naruto's fingers closed around her arm above the elbow. In a swift motion he had pulled her into his arms for a deep, lingering kiss.

"Hurry," he choked out, as if he hadn't had any attention from her in days.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

It had been a lot more difficult to crawl out of the diving toad while wearing a long skirt, but with Naruto's help she finally managed. Hiking the hem nearly up to her waist, she had slogged out of the sedge and onto the breezy lakeshore. From the position of the sun it looked to be late afternoon, although it was difficult to tell for sure because of the heavy cloud cover. From what she could tell the toad had returned her to the exact same spot.

She faced her host. "Okay, same deal as before. No one is allowed in with Naruto but me, right?"

The toad blinked once.

"I'll meet you here as soon as I can, all right?"

Another blink.

"Thank you," she said, then softly added, "and please… take care of him."

The toad blinked one last time before it sunk below the water's surface and swam out of sight. Sakura turned on her heel and made for the trees.

The slit in the skirt allowed her to run and so she did. The air was so fresh, and under different circumstances she might have gone the long way – just because it felt good to be outside – but she would have to save it for another day. A day when she could run with Naruto.

Rather than stick to the exact same path she had used before, she decided to try a shortcut through the woods and it paid off. Covering far less ground than she had the first time, she could see the old man's rustic cabin just ahead. She slowed to a walk and then, as she drew close, hid behind a tree for cover as she made her initial assessment.

The windows were just as grimy and dark as before, and all the glass remained intact. There was no smoke coming from the chimney, and the pail was still sitting by the well right where she had left it. Even the decaying apples she'd left behind were on the ground beneath the gnarled tree, untouched. The place seemed eerily quiet. Her confidence increasing, Sakura slipped around the side of the structure to have a look in the back windows. There wasn't enough light to see detail from that angle, but she was certain there was no movement within the tiny, abandoned house.

Sakura entered through the front, thankful that despite its overall condition the door did not creak on its hinges. In what little daylight that did filter into the place, she could see the footprints her own sandals had made in the thick layer of dust that covered the roughhewn floor. Just hers and no others. It would appear that no one else had been there since.

She headed straight for the kitchen to have another look around. As it turned out she had picked the pantry a little cleaner than she had remembered, but there was another partial bag of rice and some dried fish left, as well as an open jar of umeboshi paste. Removing the lid she took a quick sniff and checked for insects and mold. It seemed good enough, at least as good as the rest of the food they had.

Standing on her tip toes she felt around on the top shelf to make sure she hadn't missed anything, but there was nothing else. When she grabbed the strap of her pack to pull it from her shoulders she heard a soft clink, reminding her that she had to unload the poison spheres before she could pack the food. Burying them near any of the surrounding trees outside would probably be safe enough. After all, if no one had ever found the old man after he died, or been to check on him in the days following her first visit, who would be digging around the trees in these woods?

Time was at a premium, though, even more on this trip than the last one. She couldn't do anything too elaborate. Thinking through her options, Sakura remembered the pail by the well. It could serve as a makeshift hand shovel and help speed up the process.

On her way outside she glanced toward the bedroom in the back of the house. The old man's rotting bed was still there, just as it had been. She had only gone a few steps farther when her brain processed what she had seen. Backing up slowly, she took another look at the bed. What had been left of his body – the hair and bones – was gone.

A reexamination of the disturbance pattern in the dust confirmed her original conclusion; she was the only person who had walked on the floor in the recent past. That did not exclude ninja who could walk anywhere without leaving a trace, but what interest would any ninja have in the mortal remains of a lonely old man, and why would they go to such lengths to conceal it? It didn't make any sense, and Sakura found it far more likely that the bones had simply sunk down through the rot.

Carefully, quietly, she stepped forward, through the bedroom doorway and up to the edge of the mattress. The center of the bed was a fetid black mush – nearly the texture of pudding – and despite her medical training and strong stomach Sakura struggled to master her disgust. The old man's remains had indeed sunk since she had stood in that spot, but there was something else she hadn't noticed before. It looked like a wilted flower.

The instant she leaned over for a closer look, two shiny black tendrils burst from the mattress and coiled around her wrists. The power of the whip-like restraints caught Sakura by surprise, and although massive amounts of chakra flooded her body with super strength she could not free herself.

A third tendril snaked out of the sludge and wrapped around her neck. It was then that she sensed an intelligence within it, as it had enough knowledge of human anatomy to subdue her without choking her to death. The tendrils that bound her wrists suddenly arched high in air, forcing her arms above her head. Then the three black coils twisted into one and fused, and began to descend into the rotting bed.

Sakura was powerless. She closed her eyes and mouth tightly, breathing a last gasp of air into her lungs before she was pulled in. Shuddering violently as bones and slimy shreds of mattress slid past her face, she sensed the black intelligence enveloping her like a cocoon. The smell of earth was everywhere.

Blind and frightened, the last thought that echoed in her mind was a scream for Naruto.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is the first chapter that hasn't ended with Naruto and Sakura holding hands. : (


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